Okay, Nancy, my Earthly Relief friend, I hope you don't mind, but I've decided to respond to you in a new post because:
a) My response would be way too long in that wimpy comments section they give you. I'm not really sure just how many characters are allowed, but if the box size is any indication...well, that's just pathetic.
b) Your question and my response might just help someone. Separately, ineffective--but together--bam! boom! bazing!--dynamic duo. :) (Sniffing too much fabric softener sometimes does this.)
So, here's the question that the delightful Ms. H. had for me:
Hey Keemarina!I have been thinking about emailing you re: vitamins for some time now, so your post is perfectly timed. Do you have any recs for a 34 year old woman who recently lost 25 lbs. through diet and MUCH exercise, and now suddenly has no energy? Like, I can barely make it around the block w/ the kids. I had thyroid, iron, and all the blood work done to no avail. What would you recommend? I am currently taking the GNC Women's Vita-Pak, and, well, I see no real improvement after almost a month.Thanks for any words of wisdom you may have!
My response:
Veronique! It is with great joy that I bring you my recommendations and I hope this will truly help you, as I do feel your dilemma. BTW--BIG HUGE CONGRATS on the weight loss and those absolutely beautiful pictures of you and your family!! When will your blog be sporting them?
Okay--so here's my thoughts:
1) Go see if you can have your thyroid checked again. Keep pressing it. It's important. The thyroid is one of the most under diagnosed problems that face women in this culture. I had to go to 3 different docs to have it diagnosed before finally, one doc would admit that it was a bit low. I then did some alternative medicines and it leveled out after about 1 1/2 years.
After I had JD, I was so sluggish. Everyone kept telling me it was just the fact that I now had a newborn/baby (JD was about 9 months old when I finally had it diagnosed by doc # 3.) I kept bellyaching to my Mom and she kept pressing me to go to different docs to keep having it checked. Once it finally got diagnosed, my Mom prescribed some different alternative thyroid meds....I started feeling better, but didn't really feel 100% again until a little over a year later. After recovering with Ellie and Cal, I knew that it was not just the fact that I had a newborn/baby...it really was my thyroid. With Elle and Cal, I was not sluggish in the least (tired, worn out, insane...but not sluggish.) Maybe if you call your doc's office, they can read the thyroid results to you and you can have them analyzed to see if you are borderline. Even a borderline thyroid reading, though it wouldn't catch a doc's eye, can sometimes put you over the edge as far as how you feel.
2) Vitamins take time, so whatever you end up doing....keep with it. While meds have a quick response time, vitamins are slow, sometimes, to get your body back to peak operating level. The general rule is that you need to be on the prescribed vitamins/mineral for about a month for each year that you've had the condition. That's why, most people end up bagging the idea and going for the quick fix. Vitamins are not a usual quick fix, but they are the healthy route in the (sometimes very) long run overall. Also, buy liquids, softgels, or capsules. Stay away from tablets as they are harder on the stomach and much harder to digest. I ordered the various forms that most vitamins come in by their effectiveness and absorption rate--liquids being the best.
3) Keep exercising. I know it's absolutely crazy to say that given your energy loss and the fact that exercising takes energy, but it is the best thing for you. Exercising will actually increase your energy level, circulation and help make you sane at times. :) If you haven't already, try and add a strengthening program to your routine. Just doing cardio will not help in muscle strengthening and chronic muscle fatigue can make you feel sluggish. Plus, a strengthening program will actually burn more calories than just doing a cardio workout. Don't worry about muscle mass. Unless you're pressing 50 lbs. dummybells thrice-a-day, you won't get too "pompp'd uupp." (insert Arnold's accent here.)
4) Drink lotsa water (not just liquids, but water.) Cold water can help you increase your metabolism about 10% and helps rid your body of some energy zapping toxins.
5) Increase your B-complex vitamins. B vitamins are great for energy and are your overall stress vitamins. Any time you are exerting energy and losing weight, your body can get stressed and stress can result in energy loss. Any reputable vitamin store will have a B complex vitamin which will include every B vitamin your body normally needs to function. Check for higher doses of B12 included in the vitamin pack as this will directly help with energy.
6) Increase your vitamin C intake. Vitamin C is a body's best friend. Increasing your vitamin C will help in about a dozen or so ways including fighting those toxins that are being released into your body every time you exercise. Oh yes! Toxins are everywhere. :)
7) Increase your protein intake, decrease your carb intake. Protein will help with energy and weight loss. After you get done working out, eat a small amount of protein (maybe 10-15 grams). Not only will this keep your metabolism going, but it will help in muscle repair; which in turn, can help with muscle fatigue.
8) Decrease your amount of white and high fructose carbs and increase your amount of veggie, fruit and whole wheat carbs. Watch out! Some of those wheat breads you think are so good for you, are not made from true whole wheat or have hefty amounts of high fructose in them. There's no such thing as soft, light wheat bread. It's an anomaly.
9) This next suggestion is a tricky one because it involves deceit and sneaky behavior. Here's what I do--eat 3 small meals a day (with your family) and then about every 1 1/2 to 2 hours, try and eat about 3 tablespoons of something with good protein and carbs in it. My fav in between snackage is trail mix. I get this really great trail mix from Target--6 bucks for 32 oz. There are a number of different kinds (I used to get the one with m&m's in them, but found it was a little too counterproductive.) Anyway, there's some brutal dyes and preservatives in them, but for the most part, they're okay. :) The ones I get are Fruit Nut Seed Blend and California Trail Mix; both are Archer Farms brands. So between meals, I snack on 2 - 3 handfuls of these every few hours. You can also use trail mix, if mixed with the right carb/protein ratio, to take your vitamins with and is a great little snack to eat after working out.
10) Energy drinks. Now for the most part, I stay away from them. I can't drink them because I'm very sensitive to caffeine and end up needing a pacemaker if I even smell caffeinated coffee. But in your case, I would highly recommend them. Don't worry, you won't get addicted to them (unless you drink like a keg a day)...for the most part. The ones I'd steer clear of are Red Bull and those that contain high amounts of evil sugar and caffeine as their main ingredient. All they do is get your heart jacked up, only to crash a few hours later, with no real benefit except being in the state of awake. Besides, sugar destroys the vitamin C in your body. Try and find an all natural energy drink. I found a great energy drink that Karryn and I used on our Chevy Chase drive back to Iowa this past summer. I drank one in the morning and it lasted all day. It was called VitaminEnergy and again, I got it at Target. There are two kinds that our T has. One is Dragonfruit and one is Fruit Punch--made by Glaceau. Best of all, it's got no sodium, increased Vitamin C, increased Folic Acid (which is a B vitamin) increased vitamin B3, B6, B12 and B5 (all of those crazy B's I was talking about.) It's also got natural caffeine, Bioenergy Ribose: http://http//www.bioenergy.com/store/Main.aspx?html=br, and Taurine, (at times of extreme physical exertion, the body no longer produces the required amounts of taurine, and a relative deficiency results. Taurine acts as a metabolic transmitter and additionally has a detoxifying effect and strengthens cardiac contractility--not my words, obviously.) Even better, it has no crazy aftertaste like some of them do. (I tried a Red Bull on this crazy drive and did not like the taste or after.) This taste is very light and somewhat refreshing. See Karryn for further review. :) Anyway, my suggestion is to get these until you can get your energy level stabilized. You don't need to drink them every day, but just on the days you need to get stuff done. :) You can slowly wean yourself off of them when you feel like you're getting up with Mr. Bluebird on your shoulder and haven't even had your first cup o' joe yet.
11) Finally, go to your local health food store. In Chicago, we had a great little organic, health food store right down the street from us so when Doc Mom was unavailable, I just strolled down there and they had some granola-eating veggiehead ready to help me at a moments notice. I would imagine that So Cally has a few hundred stores like these right in your neighborhood, although they're probably ten times better and much nicer than this little one I went to. Point is--if you are feeling brave and need your earthy, go-green, it-ain't-clothing-'less-it's-made-from-hemp fix, stop into your local health food store and ask them their opinion too. You can also check out some new vitamin packs and energy drinks--which I'm sure they have.
Please keep me posted on how you're doing. I hope some of these tips are helpful. If I think of any more, I'll E-mail you, and of course, I'll have ask my Mom as she is really the expert in all of this. I would keep with your GNC vitamin packs until you've used them all and then try and find a multi with higher doses. You might need to take a few different pills a day at different times of the day until you can get your energy level back to zippy and zippiest. I love you, dear friend, and am praying for you. Please continue to ask as (or before) you buy things so we can make sure we have the right brands, dosages, etc. for your body.
Love you much!!
Kim
Proverbs 31:17
III John 1:2
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Vitamins--Power to the People
As the cold/flu season is quickly approaching, I feel compelled to write about a ritual that takes place in our little tiny corner of the world called "home." Now, those of you who already know my soapbox song-and-dance, can fast forward, but for those who are truly interested in something as simple as vitamins...read on.
Why do I write about vitamins? For starters, anyone who would like a definition of vitamins can go to Wikipedia, the source for all subjective information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin . I can't say that I understood the whole thing, so best wishes in that area, but I want to write about them, because I believe, they fall under the good stewardship category as far as physical health.
Vitamins have been misunderstood, mislabeled and missed all together. To be fair, there are a thousand fanatical views on vitamins that I will not address and just as with any medical advise, please consult your local naturopathic doctor for any specific advise. Please note I didn't say traditional medical doctors as typically, the medical field does not think highly (or fairly) of the whole naturopathic world. But anyone who has used alternative medicine knows its benefits. Give me organic over processed any day. If anyone would like to talk more indepth about traditional medicine verses alternative medicine, please E-mail me as my intent here is not to bash the medical world--to which I am eternally grateful to God that there is traditional medicine.
My intention is to encourage vitamin use to those who prefer alternative solutions to the typical popping of pills. I am very thankful that there are quite a few organic-minded christians at our church, to whom I've had the privilege to speak to about their alternative medicine lifestyle. It's been a true joy to be a part of such a group and I learn so much from them.
I grew up with a fairly hefty regiment of vitamins and alternative foods as the main source of nourishment. It was a way of life for me and I was surprised on my first day of kindergarten to find out that there were other children growing up right in my neighborhood that didn't take a regular dose of vitamins that filled a small cup. I naturally thought everyone took them.
My Mom is a vitamin, herb and healthy foods savant. The woman knows more about the human body, the way it functions in various circumstances (e.g. stress, pregnancy, athletic), and the way to boost the immune system more than any Prevention Magazine guru I've ever read. After a career in nursing, my dear Mom dedicated her life toward finding alternative, organic foods when they were scarce and finding alternative ways for the physical body to heal via herbs and vitamins verses the traditional popping of antibiotics or Tylenol--to which she is gravely against. We're talking the 70's and 80's when Tylenol abounded (apart from the cyanide scare) and of which free-range chicken was unheard.
Admittedly, I don't hold to many of the trusts and beliefs that she has, but I am thrilled that I have the opportunity to learn so much from her about the technical aspects of vitamins and herbs.
I won't go into the many benefits of vitamins or the reasons why you should or should not take them. There's enough information out there that anyone can decide for themselves, which way they would like to take their family. If anyone has any questions or rebuttals, please post in the comments section or E-mail me and we can discuss.
I will only speak to those who have decided that vitamins are the way they would like to go, but may not understand how to find them, buy them, take them, store them, etc. If you're interested, this post is for you.
First, good vitamins are expensive. You may have to go without eating at Ruby Tuesday's every week and decide that you can only go once-a-month, depending on your financial situation. But I would encourage anyone buying vitamins, minerals and herbs to buy the good stuff. Don't buy the store brands from Walgreens or Sam's Club. There are a number of reasons not to, but mostly, the way the vitamins are processed and stored basically means that you're throwing money out the window every time you buy them. How do you find good vitamins? Online is probably the best. Avoid GNC (for the most part), but the Vitamin Shoppe is usually pretty good and their brand is usually cheaper. Their brand is processed and stored the same way as the national brands, but just bought and sold in bulk under their name...which results in a cheaper price for you. Check around too. Webvitamins.com and Vitacost.com have some of the cheapest prices around and they ship directly from their warehouse. That means middlemen 18-wheelers, driving element-sensitive goodies through a plethora of regional elements, can be avoided.
Secondly, once you get your yummies, store them out of light and heat. Light and heat compromise the integrity and potency of the vitamins. Store them away from the microwave, oven or refrigerator. Do not store (most of them anyway) in the refrigerator, as every time you open the fridge, a certain amount of heat is let in, which produces condensation, which in turn, compromises vitamins.
Thirdly, when you take them, take them with as little liquid as possible. Most vitamins and herbs are water soluble, meaning when you take them with lots of liquid, they never get absorbed in your system...they just wash out. Give about 45 minutes on each side before you gulp down the 64 oz. of Gatorade.
Absorption is key and that's why buying good quality vitamins is key. Most people read labels on food and think, "Oh! This has 30% vitamin C or 15% iron. Great!" What they don't realize is that only 5% vitamin C and 2% of that iron is getting absorbed into your system. The other is being washed out. The way the food moguls process and store their items will ultimately determine how much your body will absorb. It would be impossible to regulate all of that. So now, while you think you're getting your full value of RDA or RDI (which I would argue is too low to begin with), now you're getting even less. Notice the label says what it contains; not what is absorbed. Why is that? Because each body is unique and "hand"made and so it would be impossible for the Department of Agri to come up with such a labeling system--so they standardize everything. So how can ensure a good absorption rate? Eat a small amount of protein with them. Adding about 15-20g of protein to your diet can increase your metabolism about 23% (give or take). It's a great way to "diet" (although I'm against that sort of thing anyway--another time, another post) but more importantly, for the vitamin lover--it's a great to increase the possibility of absorption rate.
Finally, and most important, don't depend on vitamins and herbs for your health...depend on the wonderful grace of God. There is no guarantee of anything, except that if you have confessed and believed Christ as Savior and Lord, you have taken what you value in this life and submitted to the final authority in heaven and earth anyway. So why do it? Good stewardship is recognizing accountability before God. It is saying, Lord, I know I am fully dependent on you for any and everything and am humble enough to admit that. I do believe that eating healthy, exercising and doing what we can to encourage good stewardship of the physical body is important. Certainly not the most important, but important nonetheless.
Now be ready to be ridiculed, laughed at and made fun of, but I am quietly very thankful that so far, my children have not had to be dragged to the doctor's office beyond their yearly wellness check ups save one bout of scarlet fever when JD was 3. That's a good point to make. It's not that your family will never be sick. It is that when they do, they might avoid some of the other taxing processes that the body has to go through to combat many of the toxins and side effects in traditional medicine. When JD was 3, he got scarlet fever and an ear infection. That was it for him and Elle and Cal have never had an ear infection or been to the doctor at any other time, thus far. Again, stressing the point that God has wonderfully protected my children--I trust fully in that and categorize their vitamin and herb remedies as a gracious gift to our family. If you have a healthy immune system, your body, under the sovereign reign of God, may be able to fight many of the standard and rare diseases that we're coming against in the American culture today. The immune system was made to fight, fight, fight. It fights daily toxins and threats found in just about everything, including what you eat, drink and breathe. It also fights germs, bacterias and other flu/cold/disease and cancer-causing varmints--all under the marvelous and watchful hand of our sovereign Lord.
It's not that I think the vitamins will save my family from various cancers and diseases--it is that now that I know about them, I can humbly pray that God will show great mercy on our vitamin/herb-taking family as I try to be a good steward of our families' health. It has humbled me greatly, to be on the side of vitamins and herbs as generally, the world is against it. Another opportunity for the sanctifying wash of His leading to show me just how prideful I can be in all things and just how much the world would like to take the care and cures out of the hand of God and place them at the mercy of traditional medicine.
May God richly bless you with His perfect will for your health. Please write or comment if you have any questions.
Why do I write about vitamins? For starters, anyone who would like a definition of vitamins can go to Wikipedia, the source for all subjective information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin . I can't say that I understood the whole thing, so best wishes in that area, but I want to write about them, because I believe, they fall under the good stewardship category as far as physical health.
Vitamins have been misunderstood, mislabeled and missed all together. To be fair, there are a thousand fanatical views on vitamins that I will not address and just as with any medical advise, please consult your local naturopathic doctor for any specific advise. Please note I didn't say traditional medical doctors as typically, the medical field does not think highly (or fairly) of the whole naturopathic world. But anyone who has used alternative medicine knows its benefits. Give me organic over processed any day. If anyone would like to talk more indepth about traditional medicine verses alternative medicine, please E-mail me as my intent here is not to bash the medical world--to which I am eternally grateful to God that there is traditional medicine.
My intention is to encourage vitamin use to those who prefer alternative solutions to the typical popping of pills. I am very thankful that there are quite a few organic-minded christians at our church, to whom I've had the privilege to speak to about their alternative medicine lifestyle. It's been a true joy to be a part of such a group and I learn so much from them.
I grew up with a fairly hefty regiment of vitamins and alternative foods as the main source of nourishment. It was a way of life for me and I was surprised on my first day of kindergarten to find out that there were other children growing up right in my neighborhood that didn't take a regular dose of vitamins that filled a small cup. I naturally thought everyone took them.
My Mom is a vitamin, herb and healthy foods savant. The woman knows more about the human body, the way it functions in various circumstances (e.g. stress, pregnancy, athletic), and the way to boost the immune system more than any Prevention Magazine guru I've ever read. After a career in nursing, my dear Mom dedicated her life toward finding alternative, organic foods when they were scarce and finding alternative ways for the physical body to heal via herbs and vitamins verses the traditional popping of antibiotics or Tylenol--to which she is gravely against. We're talking the 70's and 80's when Tylenol abounded (apart from the cyanide scare) and of which free-range chicken was unheard.
Admittedly, I don't hold to many of the trusts and beliefs that she has, but I am thrilled that I have the opportunity to learn so much from her about the technical aspects of vitamins and herbs.
I won't go into the many benefits of vitamins or the reasons why you should or should not take them. There's enough information out there that anyone can decide for themselves, which way they would like to take their family. If anyone has any questions or rebuttals, please post in the comments section or E-mail me and we can discuss.
I will only speak to those who have decided that vitamins are the way they would like to go, but may not understand how to find them, buy them, take them, store them, etc. If you're interested, this post is for you.
First, good vitamins are expensive. You may have to go without eating at Ruby Tuesday's every week and decide that you can only go once-a-month, depending on your financial situation. But I would encourage anyone buying vitamins, minerals and herbs to buy the good stuff. Don't buy the store brands from Walgreens or Sam's Club. There are a number of reasons not to, but mostly, the way the vitamins are processed and stored basically means that you're throwing money out the window every time you buy them. How do you find good vitamins? Online is probably the best. Avoid GNC (for the most part), but the Vitamin Shoppe is usually pretty good and their brand is usually cheaper. Their brand is processed and stored the same way as the national brands, but just bought and sold in bulk under their name...which results in a cheaper price for you. Check around too. Webvitamins.com and Vitacost.com have some of the cheapest prices around and they ship directly from their warehouse. That means middlemen 18-wheelers, driving element-sensitive goodies through a plethora of regional elements, can be avoided.
Secondly, once you get your yummies, store them out of light and heat. Light and heat compromise the integrity and potency of the vitamins. Store them away from the microwave, oven or refrigerator. Do not store (most of them anyway) in the refrigerator, as every time you open the fridge, a certain amount of heat is let in, which produces condensation, which in turn, compromises vitamins.
Thirdly, when you take them, take them with as little liquid as possible. Most vitamins and herbs are water soluble, meaning when you take them with lots of liquid, they never get absorbed in your system...they just wash out. Give about 45 minutes on each side before you gulp down the 64 oz. of Gatorade.
Absorption is key and that's why buying good quality vitamins is key. Most people read labels on food and think, "Oh! This has 30% vitamin C or 15% iron. Great!" What they don't realize is that only 5% vitamin C and 2% of that iron is getting absorbed into your system. The other is being washed out. The way the food moguls process and store their items will ultimately determine how much your body will absorb. It would be impossible to regulate all of that. So now, while you think you're getting your full value of RDA or RDI (which I would argue is too low to begin with), now you're getting even less. Notice the label says what it contains; not what is absorbed. Why is that? Because each body is unique and "hand"made and so it would be impossible for the Department of Agri to come up with such a labeling system--so they standardize everything. So how can ensure a good absorption rate? Eat a small amount of protein with them. Adding about 15-20g of protein to your diet can increase your metabolism about 23% (give or take). It's a great way to "diet" (although I'm against that sort of thing anyway--another time, another post) but more importantly, for the vitamin lover--it's a great to increase the possibility of absorption rate.
Finally, and most important, don't depend on vitamins and herbs for your health...depend on the wonderful grace of God. There is no guarantee of anything, except that if you have confessed and believed Christ as Savior and Lord, you have taken what you value in this life and submitted to the final authority in heaven and earth anyway. So why do it? Good stewardship is recognizing accountability before God. It is saying, Lord, I know I am fully dependent on you for any and everything and am humble enough to admit that. I do believe that eating healthy, exercising and doing what we can to encourage good stewardship of the physical body is important. Certainly not the most important, but important nonetheless.
Now be ready to be ridiculed, laughed at and made fun of, but I am quietly very thankful that so far, my children have not had to be dragged to the doctor's office beyond their yearly wellness check ups save one bout of scarlet fever when JD was 3. That's a good point to make. It's not that your family will never be sick. It is that when they do, they might avoid some of the other taxing processes that the body has to go through to combat many of the toxins and side effects in traditional medicine. When JD was 3, he got scarlet fever and an ear infection. That was it for him and Elle and Cal have never had an ear infection or been to the doctor at any other time, thus far. Again, stressing the point that God has wonderfully protected my children--I trust fully in that and categorize their vitamin and herb remedies as a gracious gift to our family. If you have a healthy immune system, your body, under the sovereign reign of God, may be able to fight many of the standard and rare diseases that we're coming against in the American culture today. The immune system was made to fight, fight, fight. It fights daily toxins and threats found in just about everything, including what you eat, drink and breathe. It also fights germs, bacterias and other flu/cold/disease and cancer-causing varmints--all under the marvelous and watchful hand of our sovereign Lord.
It's not that I think the vitamins will save my family from various cancers and diseases--it is that now that I know about them, I can humbly pray that God will show great mercy on our vitamin/herb-taking family as I try to be a good steward of our families' health. It has humbled me greatly, to be on the side of vitamins and herbs as generally, the world is against it. Another opportunity for the sanctifying wash of His leading to show me just how prideful I can be in all things and just how much the world would like to take the care and cures out of the hand of God and place them at the mercy of traditional medicine.
May God richly bless you with His perfect will for your health. Please write or comment if you have any questions.
Monday, September 22, 2008
"My Lord and My God" John 20:28
A disturbing trend has continuously popped up in my viewing material. Whether it be in book form, on YouTube or in a blog, I keep seeing the evangelical world making references to God in a less than reverent tone. Does this bother anyone else?
I've received some constructive criticism that I keep getting sidetracked with other things besides what the original intent of this blog was supposed to be which was a blog about how to become a better Titus woman. I agree...to a point. My mind works that way. Sidetracks, rabbit trails and the like are the many paths from my mind. Some call it A.D.D., I call it thoroughly thinking something through--po-TAY-toe, po-TAH-toe. I think we can all agree that it makes it somewhat hard to have a conversation with me, but that's just one of the high prices many of you pay for a Kimmie friendship. :)
Disturbing trends don't normally disturb me. I know that trends and fancies come and go like the wind and things like that don't last--only the word of God does. I always consider myself protected in a theological bubble of sound doctrine, so typically, I remain unconcerned with fashionable Christianity. But this has crept a little too close to home. I feel as if some of this irreverent tone is pressing against my nicely pumped bubble and now me thinks me must protest.
When I started this blog, I did intend to hit topics on specific women's issues. As of late, I have had the pleasurable opportunity of researching some of the finest verses in scripture that specifically relate to women. But as we are being challenged in ladies bible study, we cannot accurately carry out our service as women (or men) in Christ if we do not have a right understanding or precise view of the God of the bible. I see and hear, more and more, people cutting and pasting their bibles. They are cutting out the authority of God and pasting over those verses with the love of God. Now, before I have my own mini-mutiny on my hands (which would make me the Captain--and that's downright scary), I must sing, shout and proclaim the endless and immeasurable love of God. The love of God has been showered and lavished on this wretched sinner and has resulted in exceedingly abundant joy in all circumstances (II Corinthians 7:4).
Nonetheless, I must protest that much of the evangelical world has now unevenly balanced love and holiness when it comes to the attributes of God and, because of this, many evangelicals are preaching a less than balanced view. God's holiness and love are evenly matched, you can't have one without the other. And most definitely, you can't have less of one and more of the other.
I'm not sure who started it, but I wish you'd quit it...whoever you are. (Of course, we know who the father of it is.) If you disproportionately spread a gospel that unevenly explains the attributes or characteristics of God, you make Him one of us. None of us are evenly balanced, in character or attributes. All of us, because of willful and natural depravity and curse, are all out of whack. Making God into one of us, is easier than one thinks.
Legalism is one of the great ways we can do this. Legalism requires that we favor certain sides of His attributes, but other attributes are less important in our eyes. We pick and choose which attributes we like, establish a set of nicely worded rules and we govern life, choices and people by those rules. We all have these tendencies. None of us likes to admit it. Legalism is such a dirty word that even the very fundamental of fundamentalists don't call it legalism. I've never heard of any professing christian announce, "I praise God I'm a legalist." So how do we spot it? Anything that binds people to our consciences and not to the word of God is legalism. We love to do it, because we'd love for the world to act and function according to our set of nicely worded rules. We do it because we love a works-based religion more than a grace-based religion. Overall, doesn't it make life easier for me, me, me? One problem is that not only is unbiblical, but it is condemned...and the worst of legalism is purporting tradition (or nicely worded rules practiced for a very long time) as revelation from God. (Mark 7:6-8) But think about the last thought that you had or conversation with someone, that doesn't quite think like you do, do the things the way you do them, or act in how you thought they should act, especially in your church. Was it distasteful to you? Did you cringe? Worse yet, did you try and sway them to "your side", using the bible out of context as your main source of evidence? That, my sister, is legalism and its beat is a low view of God's authority in, through and commanding all things as His. Whether you like it or not, all legalism is grounded and rooted in some form of an unevenly balanced god.
So let's get back to the disturbing trend. How do we fix this when God is every good and perfectly balanced attribute and characteristic and because of our unbalanced nature, we unevenly function in our mortal state? I think there has to be a starting point. Just like ships who are lost at sea, there has to be a lighthouse to which every lost ship, when too far from shore, can be guided back to their originating position.
I believe the lighthouse for genuine believers is authority. Authority is the lighthouse that will guide you back to shore when the murky and stormy waters of depravity have lead you beyond the safe shores of a disciple of Christ.
Did you realize that the word "Lord" is used over 6,000 times in the bible, but the word "Savior" is used about 50 times? That is a mind blowing stat that cannot be overlooked.
So what do we do? We gather the troops and fight this ridiculous trend of an unevenly balanced God with our own brand of fighting--using the sword of the Spirit, God's word.
So now, I have unzipped my bubble (and oh! how warm and cozy it is) and am coming out to proclaim that not only is the God of the bible a loving God, but He is a holy God, full of wrath and vengeance, hating iniquity and sin.
And what do I look for when I'm out to sea and my tiny ship is being tossed about by the various heresies of the postmodern world? My trusty lighthouse--authority.
Genesis 1:1
Psalm 24:1
Matthew 28:18
Mark 1:22, 27
John 17:2
I have a concern for those who are living close to my theo-bubble who are willingly being led away from the authority lighthouse and will end up in a Titanic wreckage of doctrineless teaching or even worse, end up as those in Matthew 7:22.
I've received some constructive criticism that I keep getting sidetracked with other things besides what the original intent of this blog was supposed to be which was a blog about how to become a better Titus woman. I agree...to a point. My mind works that way. Sidetracks, rabbit trails and the like are the many paths from my mind. Some call it A.D.D., I call it thoroughly thinking something through--po-TAY-toe, po-TAH-toe. I think we can all agree that it makes it somewhat hard to have a conversation with me, but that's just one of the high prices many of you pay for a Kimmie friendship. :)
Disturbing trends don't normally disturb me. I know that trends and fancies come and go like the wind and things like that don't last--only the word of God does. I always consider myself protected in a theological bubble of sound doctrine, so typically, I remain unconcerned with fashionable Christianity. But this has crept a little too close to home. I feel as if some of this irreverent tone is pressing against my nicely pumped bubble and now me thinks me must protest.
When I started this blog, I did intend to hit topics on specific women's issues. As of late, I have had the pleasurable opportunity of researching some of the finest verses in scripture that specifically relate to women. But as we are being challenged in ladies bible study, we cannot accurately carry out our service as women (or men) in Christ if we do not have a right understanding or precise view of the God of the bible. I see and hear, more and more, people cutting and pasting their bibles. They are cutting out the authority of God and pasting over those verses with the love of God. Now, before I have my own mini-mutiny on my hands (which would make me the Captain--and that's downright scary), I must sing, shout and proclaim the endless and immeasurable love of God. The love of God has been showered and lavished on this wretched sinner and has resulted in exceedingly abundant joy in all circumstances (II Corinthians 7:4).
Nonetheless, I must protest that much of the evangelical world has now unevenly balanced love and holiness when it comes to the attributes of God and, because of this, many evangelicals are preaching a less than balanced view. God's holiness and love are evenly matched, you can't have one without the other. And most definitely, you can't have less of one and more of the other.
I'm not sure who started it, but I wish you'd quit it...whoever you are. (Of course, we know who the father of it is.) If you disproportionately spread a gospel that unevenly explains the attributes or characteristics of God, you make Him one of us. None of us are evenly balanced, in character or attributes. All of us, because of willful and natural depravity and curse, are all out of whack. Making God into one of us, is easier than one thinks.
Legalism is one of the great ways we can do this. Legalism requires that we favor certain sides of His attributes, but other attributes are less important in our eyes. We pick and choose which attributes we like, establish a set of nicely worded rules and we govern life, choices and people by those rules. We all have these tendencies. None of us likes to admit it. Legalism is such a dirty word that even the very fundamental of fundamentalists don't call it legalism. I've never heard of any professing christian announce, "I praise God I'm a legalist." So how do we spot it? Anything that binds people to our consciences and not to the word of God is legalism. We love to do it, because we'd love for the world to act and function according to our set of nicely worded rules. We do it because we love a works-based religion more than a grace-based religion. Overall, doesn't it make life easier for me, me, me? One problem is that not only is unbiblical, but it is condemned...and the worst of legalism is purporting tradition (or nicely worded rules practiced for a very long time) as revelation from God. (Mark 7:6-8) But think about the last thought that you had or conversation with someone, that doesn't quite think like you do, do the things the way you do them, or act in how you thought they should act, especially in your church. Was it distasteful to you? Did you cringe? Worse yet, did you try and sway them to "your side", using the bible out of context as your main source of evidence? That, my sister, is legalism and its beat is a low view of God's authority in, through and commanding all things as His. Whether you like it or not, all legalism is grounded and rooted in some form of an unevenly balanced god.
So let's get back to the disturbing trend. How do we fix this when God is every good and perfectly balanced attribute and characteristic and because of our unbalanced nature, we unevenly function in our mortal state? I think there has to be a starting point. Just like ships who are lost at sea, there has to be a lighthouse to which every lost ship, when too far from shore, can be guided back to their originating position.
I believe the lighthouse for genuine believers is authority. Authority is the lighthouse that will guide you back to shore when the murky and stormy waters of depravity have lead you beyond the safe shores of a disciple of Christ.
Did you realize that the word "Lord" is used over 6,000 times in the bible, but the word "Savior" is used about 50 times? That is a mind blowing stat that cannot be overlooked.
So what do we do? We gather the troops and fight this ridiculous trend of an unevenly balanced God with our own brand of fighting--using the sword of the Spirit, God's word.
So now, I have unzipped my bubble (and oh! how warm and cozy it is) and am coming out to proclaim that not only is the God of the bible a loving God, but He is a holy God, full of wrath and vengeance, hating iniquity and sin.
And what do I look for when I'm out to sea and my tiny ship is being tossed about by the various heresies of the postmodern world? My trusty lighthouse--authority.
Genesis 1:1
Psalm 24:1
Matthew 28:18
Mark 1:22, 27
John 17:2
I have a concern for those who are living close to my theo-bubble who are willingly being led away from the authority lighthouse and will end up in a Titanic wreckage of doctrineless teaching or even worse, end up as those in Matthew 7:22.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Pertaining To Life and Godliness
2 Peter 1:3 "...seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
Admittedly, I've been sidetracked these last few weeks. I've been pursuing something that cannot be known...trying to know and understand a human's heart. Jeremiah 17:9 is very clear about that. I've been trying to do the work of God, and God, in His infinite care for me, sent a wonderful and godly human agent to set me on the right track again. So I apologize and keep pressing on, or keep blogging on much to the dismay of my reading audience (all two of you.) :)
I've been wanting to blog about this for quite awhile, as this is directly related to my active pursuit of becoming a Titus woman. As always, I want to give everyone background details so you can have a panoramic view of just how silly I really am and how God continually molds and reshapes my old clothes thinking.
Growing up, I was privileged to go to church. Although I am now far removed from many of the doctrines of my youth, I always have had the opportunity to read a fairly good translation of God's word. The problem was that I compartmentalized my life. I was a good little church goer in front of the churched. When living my life, say at school or with worldly friends, I left one compartment and went to another. I was not an influence, I was easily influenced. I was not salt or light, I was flavorless and dim. If I look back at my life now, I can remember questioning why that was. I guess I chalked it up to "noone's perfect."
It has taken me close to 35 years to really understand that the bible is not just a handy dandy compartment resource. It's not just a moral code with which we try our best to follow. It's not just a historical book of do's and don'ts. And it's certainly not a book of heroes and legends to follow (except for Jesus), although this is what I always thought. I actually thought all of these things were true about the bible. In the words of some dear friends...what a "nudge!" Here's the deal.
Foremost--the bible is everything. Without the bible, you have no truth, no light, no knowledge, no understanding... nothing. The bible is direct revelation from the Maker and Creator Himself and there is no other way to know or learn about Him apart from scripture.
What do we know about God's word as described by God Himself?
John 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
II Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
So how are we to act based on this information?
This is where I always get tripped up. Before 3 or 4 years ago, my m.o. was that as long as I lived a good, moral life, went to church, prayed and read my bible, I was following God. I would allot certain portions of my time for spiritual things and then go and live in the real world. This was wrong. Now I see that the bible is not to be interwoven into your every day life as a believer, but the bible IS your life and everything else is interwoven into it. Rarely, if ever, did I believe that the bible would actually help me with the day-to-day, moment-to-moment living. I felt like it was more of a mantra... or a badge. Something you put on or off at the appropriate time (e.g. church, prayer groups, emergency situations, etc.) and then in the in-between times, you just lived your life...ready for the bible to be there should you need it. Sort of like the fire extinguisher in the glass case. Break, if needed.
Talk about a wrong and utterly low view of scripture, and ultimately God.
2 Peter 1:3 "...seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
So what part of life is untouched by scripture? Nuthin'! It's like a V8 moment--I shoulda had one! Everything in this life--breathing, eating, sleeping, dreaming, living, growing, loving, hating, thinking, doing, being--is governed by scripture. As I read more and more, I realize that there is not one thing in the past, present or future that is not only addressed in scripture, but clearly detailed in scripture as it pertains to "life" and "godliness". As I grow more and more, I realize the constant and repetitive use of the words "all", "every", "everything", "wholly", etc. throughout the bible. I was so blind to them before and now I see them everywhere.
God's word is for all situations, in all times, in every circumstance regardless of gender, age, status, culture, background, or race. It is for the moment-to-moment parts of the day. There is nothing in your thought life or public life that scripture cannot pierce or judge.
So now, by His grace, I have re-adjusted my vision and hearing to tune into the word of God so that it is a streaming and continuous flow, knowing that it pertains and is relevant for the exact moment that I am in at that time and the next, and the next, and the next....
Admittedly, I've been sidetracked these last few weeks. I've been pursuing something that cannot be known...trying to know and understand a human's heart. Jeremiah 17:9 is very clear about that. I've been trying to do the work of God, and God, in His infinite care for me, sent a wonderful and godly human agent to set me on the right track again. So I apologize and keep pressing on, or keep blogging on much to the dismay of my reading audience (all two of you.) :)
I've been wanting to blog about this for quite awhile, as this is directly related to my active pursuit of becoming a Titus woman. As always, I want to give everyone background details so you can have a panoramic view of just how silly I really am and how God continually molds and reshapes my old clothes thinking.
Growing up, I was privileged to go to church. Although I am now far removed from many of the doctrines of my youth, I always have had the opportunity to read a fairly good translation of God's word. The problem was that I compartmentalized my life. I was a good little church goer in front of the churched. When living my life, say at school or with worldly friends, I left one compartment and went to another. I was not an influence, I was easily influenced. I was not salt or light, I was flavorless and dim. If I look back at my life now, I can remember questioning why that was. I guess I chalked it up to "noone's perfect."
It has taken me close to 35 years to really understand that the bible is not just a handy dandy compartment resource. It's not just a moral code with which we try our best to follow. It's not just a historical book of do's and don'ts. And it's certainly not a book of heroes and legends to follow (except for Jesus), although this is what I always thought. I actually thought all of these things were true about the bible. In the words of some dear friends...what a "nudge!" Here's the deal.
Foremost--the bible is everything. Without the bible, you have no truth, no light, no knowledge, no understanding... nothing. The bible is direct revelation from the Maker and Creator Himself and there is no other way to know or learn about Him apart from scripture.
What do we know about God's word as described by God Himself?
John 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
II Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
So how are we to act based on this information?
This is where I always get tripped up. Before 3 or 4 years ago, my m.o. was that as long as I lived a good, moral life, went to church, prayed and read my bible, I was following God. I would allot certain portions of my time for spiritual things and then go and live in the real world. This was wrong. Now I see that the bible is not to be interwoven into your every day life as a believer, but the bible IS your life and everything else is interwoven into it. Rarely, if ever, did I believe that the bible would actually help me with the day-to-day, moment-to-moment living. I felt like it was more of a mantra... or a badge. Something you put on or off at the appropriate time (e.g. church, prayer groups, emergency situations, etc.) and then in the in-between times, you just lived your life...ready for the bible to be there should you need it. Sort of like the fire extinguisher in the glass case. Break, if needed.
Talk about a wrong and utterly low view of scripture, and ultimately God.
2 Peter 1:3 "...seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
So what part of life is untouched by scripture? Nuthin'! It's like a V8 moment--I shoulda had one! Everything in this life--breathing, eating, sleeping, dreaming, living, growing, loving, hating, thinking, doing, being--is governed by scripture. As I read more and more, I realize that there is not one thing in the past, present or future that is not only addressed in scripture, but clearly detailed in scripture as it pertains to "life" and "godliness". As I grow more and more, I realize the constant and repetitive use of the words "all", "every", "everything", "wholly", etc. throughout the bible. I was so blind to them before and now I see them everywhere.
God's word is for all situations, in all times, in every circumstance regardless of gender, age, status, culture, background, or race. It is for the moment-to-moment parts of the day. There is nothing in your thought life or public life that scripture cannot pierce or judge.
So now, by His grace, I have re-adjusted my vision and hearing to tune into the word of God so that it is a streaming and continuous flow, knowing that it pertains and is relevant for the exact moment that I am in at that time and the next, and the next, and the next....
Monday, September 8, 2008
Mark Driscoll is Evil--Follow-Up
Just to be clear...Mark Driscoll is not evil. That is my conclusion. I have listened to a number of his sermons, read his blog and googled his name. There's a lot to be said about a guy that pastors a church of 6,000 plus sheep in the most "unchurched city in America." There's a lot of information out there--some of it controversial. But I don't personally know the people on either side of the wall, so I won't take time to comment on the controversies.
How did this all get started? I received a YouTube video from a friend and the title was Mark Driscoll is Evil. This was in response to an ongoing conversation about the emerging church (reserved for a later post). In that, was a short clip of Pastor Driscoll telling his congregation about how God feels about sinners--which struck a cord in me. You see...I've been chewing this same thought over. "God hates the sin, but loves the sinner" (more on that later).
This is how I was introduced to Pastor Mark Driscoll. I started from the perspective that this guy must be way off base. As I kept watching, I was really puzzled as to why anyone thought this guy was "evil." I was getting confused and needed help.
There are strong supporters in his camp...some of whom I respect dearly, and others who have a strong dislike for him, some of whom I respect dearly. Then there are some who can't decide if they like or dislike him, which is where I come in.
I can't make up my mind. I don't agree with everything that he believes. I certainly don't agree with his philosophy or style, but I agree with (mostly) his theology that I've seen and read so far. The major differences, so far, are his views on the apostolic gifts.
Recently, he publicly apologized to his congregation for the lack of humility in his life, which gave him an ungodly edge. I noticed that not many people blogged or followed up about this apology--friends or critics. The apology appeared to be about as genuine as any public apology could be from a pastor to a congregation. This was back in November of 2007, so I'm curious to see if he's changed his style or presentation tactics at all. I haven't had time to check out to see if his apology is genuine.
When I posted the "Mark Driscoll is evil" question, it was suggested that I was trying to garner interest for conversation. While it may appear that way, I truly was asking the question as I was getting confused from what I was seeing and what I was hearing. So I was truly hoping that those smarter and more knowledgeable than I, could help me filter some of this through my pea-sized brain--which some of you did, and I thank you. I was sent some great information which helped me sort through some of the brain fuzz I have.
Why in the world does this all matter?! Well, back to my original thought which was while I was watching the video, I noticed that he was touching on a topic that I have been chewing over in my mind for some time now. Psalm 5:5 says that God "hates all who do iniquity." So not only does God hate the sin, but also hates all who do iniquity.
In March of this year, I asked one of our beloved Elders at Grace (East), this question. He was kind enough to E-mail me quite a lengthy response. In it, he said that although God extends common grace to all (i.e. Matthew 5:45), His love is different for those chosen (Ephesians 1:4-5). There are those who believe that John 3:16 proves differently, but those people are mistaken. Contextually, it doesn't make sense that God was talking about every single person in the world. The very next verse in John 3:17 says that "...the world might be saved through Him." Well, we obviously know that each and every person has not been saved and in fact, (sidebar) the more I read scripture, the more I realize that fewer and fewer people are going to heaven (but I need to save that for another post.) I am realizing that the bible isn't only about God's vast love (although immeasurable) the bible is about God's glory and His mercy in reserving a remnant for Him through the redemptive plan and work of Jesus Christ. But in moral Sunday School classes around the world, God's love is taught disproportionately with God's holiness so we are filling pews with people who are misguided about the work of Jesus Christ or the true gospel.
Kim! Please get to the point. Well, here's the point. There are many who teach and know truthful, sound doctrine. Scholars, teachers, women, men, professors, theologians and the like. But none of that matters if the presentation is given with strife, arrogance, antagonism and an argumentative heart. If the package of sound doctrine is wrapped in the paper of a haughty presentation and a life that reflects only a "hearing" attitude and not a "doing" attitude...then to whom should I listen? Why should I waste vaporous time with hearing sound doctrine from someone that doesn't fully practice (and subsequently believe) the bible in its entirety (including the submissive, humble and loving parts--the life of Jesus Christ). In fact, I would go as far to say that there may be someone that knows more bible, more theology, more church history and is the most scholarly person I know, but if he or she does not practice what they teach, then I would rather learn from someone who knows less, but passionately and with the highest of conviction, practices the scripture that he or she knows. I believe that is the person to follow and listen with all of my attention. Not the scholar (or pharisee/high priest to put it in biblical terms). And as in the disciples' case, they may have come in late on the academic scene as far as the pharisees were concerned, but they more than made up for it in practicing what their Teacher told them (however imperfectly) and eventually became greater works (including penning scholarly books of the bible) than any of the intellectual types of their day ever contributed.
Craig, the beloved Grace Church (East) Elder mentioned above, is very smart. Whenever I come out of a service where he's taught, I want to ask how many seminary credits do I have now. I would imagine (I'm only assuming here now) that he knows less than Pastor Driscoll for a variety of reasons, but mainly because Craig has a full-time job that does not allow him the luxury of sitting in a study for 8 hours a day pouring over theological books. But I know his life and while, yes, he is an imperfect human being, appointed by God to oversee Christ's church, he presents the truth in such a way that does not dishonor the person of Christ. He represents the gospel that does not lower the scripture to my level, but requires me to rise to the authoritative and scholarly level of scripture.
So who would you rather listen to for this doctrine on God hating sinners?
How did this all get started? I received a YouTube video from a friend and the title was Mark Driscoll is Evil. This was in response to an ongoing conversation about the emerging church (reserved for a later post). In that, was a short clip of Pastor Driscoll telling his congregation about how God feels about sinners--which struck a cord in me. You see...I've been chewing this same thought over. "God hates the sin, but loves the sinner" (more on that later).
This is how I was introduced to Pastor Mark Driscoll. I started from the perspective that this guy must be way off base. As I kept watching, I was really puzzled as to why anyone thought this guy was "evil." I was getting confused and needed help.
There are strong supporters in his camp...some of whom I respect dearly, and others who have a strong dislike for him, some of whom I respect dearly. Then there are some who can't decide if they like or dislike him, which is where I come in.
I can't make up my mind. I don't agree with everything that he believes. I certainly don't agree with his philosophy or style, but I agree with (mostly) his theology that I've seen and read so far. The major differences, so far, are his views on the apostolic gifts.
Recently, he publicly apologized to his congregation for the lack of humility in his life, which gave him an ungodly edge. I noticed that not many people blogged or followed up about this apology--friends or critics. The apology appeared to be about as genuine as any public apology could be from a pastor to a congregation. This was back in November of 2007, so I'm curious to see if he's changed his style or presentation tactics at all. I haven't had time to check out to see if his apology is genuine.
When I posted the "Mark Driscoll is evil" question, it was suggested that I was trying to garner interest for conversation. While it may appear that way, I truly was asking the question as I was getting confused from what I was seeing and what I was hearing. So I was truly hoping that those smarter and more knowledgeable than I, could help me filter some of this through my pea-sized brain--which some of you did, and I thank you. I was sent some great information which helped me sort through some of the brain fuzz I have.
Why in the world does this all matter?! Well, back to my original thought which was while I was watching the video, I noticed that he was touching on a topic that I have been chewing over in my mind for some time now. Psalm 5:5 says that God "hates all who do iniquity." So not only does God hate the sin, but also hates all who do iniquity.
In March of this year, I asked one of our beloved Elders at Grace (East), this question. He was kind enough to E-mail me quite a lengthy response. In it, he said that although God extends common grace to all (i.e. Matthew 5:45), His love is different for those chosen (Ephesians 1:4-5). There are those who believe that John 3:16 proves differently, but those people are mistaken. Contextually, it doesn't make sense that God was talking about every single person in the world. The very next verse in John 3:17 says that "...the world might be saved through Him." Well, we obviously know that each and every person has not been saved and in fact, (sidebar) the more I read scripture, the more I realize that fewer and fewer people are going to heaven (but I need to save that for another post.) I am realizing that the bible isn't only about God's vast love (although immeasurable) the bible is about God's glory and His mercy in reserving a remnant for Him through the redemptive plan and work of Jesus Christ. But in moral Sunday School classes around the world, God's love is taught disproportionately with God's holiness so we are filling pews with people who are misguided about the work of Jesus Christ or the true gospel.
Kim! Please get to the point. Well, here's the point. There are many who teach and know truthful, sound doctrine. Scholars, teachers, women, men, professors, theologians and the like. But none of that matters if the presentation is given with strife, arrogance, antagonism and an argumentative heart. If the package of sound doctrine is wrapped in the paper of a haughty presentation and a life that reflects only a "hearing" attitude and not a "doing" attitude...then to whom should I listen? Why should I waste vaporous time with hearing sound doctrine from someone that doesn't fully practice (and subsequently believe) the bible in its entirety (including the submissive, humble and loving parts--the life of Jesus Christ). In fact, I would go as far to say that there may be someone that knows more bible, more theology, more church history and is the most scholarly person I know, but if he or she does not practice what they teach, then I would rather learn from someone who knows less, but passionately and with the highest of conviction, practices the scripture that he or she knows. I believe that is the person to follow and listen with all of my attention. Not the scholar (or pharisee/high priest to put it in biblical terms). And as in the disciples' case, they may have come in late on the academic scene as far as the pharisees were concerned, but they more than made up for it in practicing what their Teacher told them (however imperfectly) and eventually became greater works (including penning scholarly books of the bible) than any of the intellectual types of their day ever contributed.
Craig, the beloved Grace Church (East) Elder mentioned above, is very smart. Whenever I come out of a service where he's taught, I want to ask how many seminary credits do I have now. I would imagine (I'm only assuming here now) that he knows less than Pastor Driscoll for a variety of reasons, but mainly because Craig has a full-time job that does not allow him the luxury of sitting in a study for 8 hours a day pouring over theological books. But I know his life and while, yes, he is an imperfect human being, appointed by God to oversee Christ's church, he presents the truth in such a way that does not dishonor the person of Christ. He represents the gospel that does not lower the scripture to my level, but requires me to rise to the authoritative and scholarly level of scripture.
So who would you rather listen to for this doctrine on God hating sinners?
Friday, September 5, 2008
Earthly Reliefs -- The Hoyers
Definition of Earthly Reliefs: Earthly Reliefs are men and women (sometimes families, sometimes single) brought into believers' lives for the Proverbs 27:17 sharpening of a person for the glory of God. They help us breathe a little easier as we are called by our great God to travel and journey on this earth. While we are just pilgrims in a dusty and foreign land, Earthly Reliefs are the watering and feeding oases. In some ways, they minister to us and in some ways, we minister to them. But however God has called us to work on the privilege of becoming more Christlike--Earthly Reliefs are designed gifts from the Heavenly Father above to help sharpen and mold us into His image.I'm starting a feature on my blog called Earthly Reliefs. In my life, God has brought me much needed rest from the burden of being in this natural, wretched casing called human flesh through the wonderful pleasure of having Earthly Reliefs. As with all articles on my blog, I'm hoping that this new section will help to display God's glory by showing how Earthly Reliefs have righteously influenced us toward the kingdom of God. I'm hoping that they will encourage any reader of this tiny blog to look for Earthly Reliefs in their own lives. Search for patterns and markers in the people around them that will lead them to seek and befriend these Earthly Reliefs, be mentored by them, mentor and minister to them, and with their Earthly Relief companions, desire the exact same godly image of Christ in every thought, word and deed. And in so doing, by the grace of God, will cling to them, appreciate them and emulate them as earthly models of heavenly godliness. Just as Paul wrote in I Corinthians 11:1--he called the church in Corinth to be like him because he imitated Christ. That's what Earthly Reliefs are. Imitators of Christ here on earth set before us to model and follow....to diligently seek their friendship in every way, thereby surrounding yourself with godly models of Christ for His glory and His alone.
I heart this part of blogging. Describing these Earthly Reliefs in black and white text has given me a huge opportunity to share the true depth and width of the gratitude of my heart toward God as He continually and richly blesses me. That's what true blessing has become to me as described in Malachi 3:10. I know it's refering to tithing here, but to me, Earthly Reliefs are far more precious and valuable than any fleeting, temporary benefit of actual paper money or even food (at times), though God continues to pour there also. Earthly Reliefs are the treasured blessings in direct porportion to God's goodness and mercy to whom He pours out on us unworthy types.
With that, I introduce to you our next Earthly Reliefs--Gustav and Nancy Hoyer. Now to be fair, anyone who knows these beloved must realize how hard it would be to try and blog a mere post about them. It is no small task. I tried to organize my thoughts, though, around what they would enjoy hearing about themselves--how they influence those around them for the kingdom of God.
Gustav and Nancy reside in the beautiful region of Southern California (thus, her posting signature "Nancy in SoCal"). They have 5 children--Nicholas, Gretchen, Lillian, Gabriel and Kurt. Their children are crazy smart (an endearing term now used liberally to describe really, really, really smart people). Posssibly the smartest children I know....all of them (well, minus Kurt, but there is a fair assumption made.) Nancy (who is crazy smart herself) is a homeschooling genius and one out of two resources that I turn to for continual guidance on all fronts. Gustav. Where do I start with him? He is the poster child for crazy smart. But beyond that he's a gifted teacher, composer, singer, pianist, recording artist, computer geek, cowboy, and all-around, saved, great guy. Did I mention he's smart too? My personal favorite is that they equally have a killer sense of humor that keeps their smarty, farty pants lifestyle in check.
Okay, by this time I'm sure they're thoroughly embarrassed, but that's not my intent. Those gifts, they all recognize, are directly from the Giver and Maker of all, so they boast not in themselves. So why did I give them this intro. Well, besides being accurate, I also wanted to set up the rest of this blog so you could potentially picture a more detailed view of some of the circumstances listed below. A view that will hopefully help you look for those in your own life that fulfill certain characteristics so that when you are gifted with the opportunity to learn and grow--you will learn and grow from those well-qualified. If you don't, then you have the potential hazard of being led astray.
So here's the part I think they'll appreciate. How have they influenced our tiny family for the kingdom of God? How has God displayed His glory before our very eyes, unbeknownst to them?
The first thing that comes to mind is the opposite reaction that the rich young ruler had as described in Mark 10. They are prepared to give everything away. And they have to us. The first time we lived here our car broke down and they loaned us their car for "as long as we needed it." We had known them for barely a monthy. The second time we lived here, we could not afford to carry a mortgage and have an apartment and yet, Scott wanted us here in CT with him (we had already been apart for about 6 weeks with no home sale in sight.) Enter the Hoyers. They were the first to offer us a place to stay. We lived in their home, drove their cars, ate their food, and played with their beloved (passed) pooch. It was the material goods that they treasured not. They only gave out of the well-spring of their hearts having been regenerated and changed into Christ's likeness. They gave no thought to their own comfort, their own way of life, their schedule and the inevitable disasters of having the Noble clumsies around. They sacrificially gave to our family, in our greatest time of need. So I do not point to the wonderful material sacrifices they gave (although great in number and value). They gave of their actual lives to allow us to be together as a family when we could not afford it. What kind of family does this outside of Christ?
Gustav, as a lovingly missed Elder of Grace Church is an incredibly gifted teacher and used his gifts by answering the many silly and milky questions of a newly saved christian (although at this time I still believed I had been saved all of my life.) He spent his valuable time mentoring and discipling me in the word and truths of God, including election, and for that I am eternally grateful. He challenged me to read through Romans and spent some time at night going over my questions. One particular exhausting (for him) but exhilarating (for me) night of discussion, I told him how much I appreciated him. He looked at me and with this ever-patient, godly expression, told me "Kim, there is no better way I would rather spend my time then going over the scriptures with you." You see--it's not that he sacrificed that time with me (although valued beyond description)--it was his heart attitude toward it. From his wellspring, he genuinely could say that he would rather go over scripture with a pathetic, dense soul like myself then doing the many other activities he so enjoyed, but probably missed while we lived with them.
Nancy, a gifted teacher, has used her gifts to influence me in such a way that is not the brash and harsh--get-it-right attitude that I deserve. She has chosen the kind, compassionate, enduring route that gently, patiently and faithfully leads me to spiritual matters of the heart and a genuine homeschool knowledge that can only be described as full and complete. When I think of Nancy and all she does and shares, I think of the Prov. 31 woman in verse 11 where it talks about her husband does not lack. That is how I feel about Nancy and I'm sure anyone who knows her would concur. When you are her friend, you lack nothing out of a godly friendship. You never lack a knowledgeable, godly conversation; a spiritually, heart-filled mentoring encouragement; or a good laugh. I have observed her when she speaks and you can see her mind working as she filters her words so that she is in line with what scripture teaches. She has mad writing skills and uses them for the eternal purpose of blogging and encouraging her family. If there is an earthly Titus 2 model--she would have a picture posted.
This amazing family has (and continues to) influence those around them for the kingdom of God. They are holy and righteous; combining their natural gifted smarts with a godly heart and desire for Christ. They make a formidable pair that anyone within their radar would be naturally attracted. I would imagine it gives them many opportunities to share the truth they know, just like in my case. I count them a great blessing in my life as they are the first family for me, personally, who showed that the very merciful and kindness of God has personally touched me with accurate and biblical preciseness.
Seek a family like this. Bug them like we do. They are rare and costly because Christ has positioned a very few with such talents and gifts to befriend us peasants. I always think were it not for the grace of God actively working in the Hoyers and their utter submission to Christ, we would not be a blip on their screen...that's how different we are.
How do you say thank you to a family that has literally modeled the true and complete Christian philosophy as spelled out by Paul in the New Testament. The only way to say it is--TO GOD BE THE GLORY...GREAT THINGS HE HATH DONE!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Little Bundles of Depravity
Okay. So I can't take the credit for that. A beloved church member said that, but I thought it was completely appropriate--and more importantly--scriptural. I've wrestled with this gnawing in my gut for the last couple of years. My children are not saved. They are bundles of depravity sent by a loving, heavenly Father for me to train in the fear and admonition of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4) But the fact still remains that they are sinners in need of a Savior and because of that, their words and actions (though sometimes so stinkin' cute) come from a depraved heart and soul. Their thoughts and intentions are daily about manipulation, rebellion, selfishness and evil--and those are on the good days. Don't believe me? Look up Genesis 6:5, Jeremiah 17:9. No matter how cute, nice, smart, good, generous, etc. that they appear--I must always keep in mind that until they are regenerated (Lord-willing), it is of no eternal value. So what, you ask? Well, I'm always interested in finding how God's glory is displayed in situations where there seems to be little, if at all, opportunity for a glory showcase (e.g. those not elect living their lives here on earth in unelect fashion). I realize that in the overall, umbrella of the course of time, God's glory will be known throughout, but until then, I know that as a desiring T2W, I want to set my mind toward finding and publicly sharing praise and thankfulness to God in seemingly godless situations and find where God's glory will fit, especially in my own home. If my little darlings, by God's mercy, become born again by the Spirit (i.e. regenerated) then woot, woot (in the words of dear FB friends.) I need not go on. But admittedly so, I have wrestled with the fact that what if they are never regenerated. If you have wrestled with the same, please read on.
Here are my chewed-over thoughts.
As someone who has come to see the true value, treasure and biblical accuracy in election, I have been forced to face some truths about my own dear bundles. The primary is--what if they aren't the elect? What if they are not chosen and instead, have been made for "vessels of wrath" as talked about in Romans 9. You have only to read through this entire chapter in the bible to understand it is God, and God alone, who does the making and the choosing. He has pre-ordered their steps before the foundations of this world were created. It is something, no matter how hard I kick and scream against, that I can't change. God, as creator and owner of all, saw every possible path that each moment would bring them and sovereignly chose the specific path they will walk. If that doesn't blow the mind, I'm not sure what will. But the ache is still there.
So what do I do with this leftover aching and gnawing? By the grace of God, I have set my mind to use this time for His glory by these few focused activities. Listed in no particular order.
1) I try and take nothing for granted. Every moment, every circumstance, every action must be a training ground for teaching and admonishing in the fear of the Lord. It is one of the main reasons we chose homeschooling. There is but a small allotment of time to influence them for the kingdom of God before they depart from home and are out of our immediate care. (Genesis 2:24)
2) I give them the benefit of the doubt and continually tell them they are not saved. (How would you like to be my child right about now--eh?)I continually pray out loud in our devotional time and nighttime prayers for God to "save their souls." And I pray in my own private time too.
3) When they do/act/say something that is perceived as a fruit of the Spirit, I try and pick and choose my words carefully. I try not to give them a false sense of security that they are "good" or "kind" or "loving." I try and tell them that they have showed "goodness", "kindness" or "love" toward someone or something (depending on the favorite toy in hand).
4) I try to make a point to never tell them "I'm proud of you." This is such a foreign concept to the world. I want to watch and guard my words carefully so as not to bring a worldly attitude and thought of "self-esteem" into the mix. Those type of psychological terms and concepts are extremely hard to get rid of as they get older. The world wants them to be "proud of themselves" but I find nowhere in scripture where that is true. I try to change those words to, "I am so thankful to God for.... ", depending on the situation.
5) I take every opportunity, for as long as the Lord allows, for them to have devotional time, prayer time and church time. Equal participation, equal time.
6) I will ask their forgiveness for true sin and mistakes that are wrong. In return, I truly try and forgive and forget (which true forgiveness has to "choose to forget") when they are called to repentance.
7) I pray that my 3rd generation christian home will be saturated with discernment and a knowing heart of how easy it will be for my children to parade behind a mask of their parent's faith, verses genuine saving faith. Anyone who has heard my testimony knows that God saved me from the ultimate deceit--believing I was saved and going to heaven--when I wasn't. This slippery slope is one of the biggest mountains and obstacles you will ever face as christian parents trying to influence your children for Christ. It is a truly sad event when christian parents bury their head in the sand, convinced (and subsequently convincing) their children that they are saved, when they are, in fact, not. Genuine love for your children will open discerning eyes and ears that leave no room for assumption.
8) I guard what they watch and read....praying for the kind of X-ray vision that sees through worldly disguises and my own laziness at times.
9) Equally, I guard with whom they are friends--for now.
10) I pray that my character is changed and molded into a non-hypocritical model of what I am preaching to them.
11) I try and remind myself every day that I am raising my children to leave the home. That is the goal. They must be less dependent on me, to become more dependent on Christ. I don't want them to have my faith. I want them to have independent-of-me, saving faith. If I become the overbearing, overprotective, super control freak Mom that I would like to be--I will suffocate and choke the very life they must live to point them to their all-dependency need of Christ.
12) I pray for every opportunity to share the gospel with them. My final point. I realized that when sharing the gospel, even to the unsaved, non-elect, vessels of wrath (as may be my children) I am glorifying God every time I publicly speak the true gospel. It glorifies Him. It doesn't have to be in a conversion situation. Every time the true gospel is publicly shared (whether on deaf ears or hearing ears) it glorifies God. It does not matter my earthly audience...it only matters my obedience and desire to glorify Him.
As I mature and grow in Christ, the gnawing in my gut is replaced by a biblical peace and knowing that the always good, always loving God will deal righteously and justly with my bundles of depraved blessings. He will never compromise His holy character for them, I can rest assured. So I need only ask myself one lingering question--Who do I love more, my children or my God? If I love God more, then I will leave the "elect" question to Him and be wholly obedient to Him in the life of my children; endlessly searching for ways to glorify God while I still have them as a captive audience. I am learning to rest more peacefully at night knowing that the answer is better left to the One who holds their eternal state in His hands anyway. And that, right there, is glorifying to God.
Here are my chewed-over thoughts.
As someone who has come to see the true value, treasure and biblical accuracy in election, I have been forced to face some truths about my own dear bundles. The primary is--what if they aren't the elect? What if they are not chosen and instead, have been made for "vessels of wrath" as talked about in Romans 9. You have only to read through this entire chapter in the bible to understand it is God, and God alone, who does the making and the choosing. He has pre-ordered their steps before the foundations of this world were created. It is something, no matter how hard I kick and scream against, that I can't change. God, as creator and owner of all, saw every possible path that each moment would bring them and sovereignly chose the specific path they will walk. If that doesn't blow the mind, I'm not sure what will. But the ache is still there.
So what do I do with this leftover aching and gnawing? By the grace of God, I have set my mind to use this time for His glory by these few focused activities. Listed in no particular order.
1) I try and take nothing for granted. Every moment, every circumstance, every action must be a training ground for teaching and admonishing in the fear of the Lord. It is one of the main reasons we chose homeschooling. There is but a small allotment of time to influence them for the kingdom of God before they depart from home and are out of our immediate care. (Genesis 2:24)
2) I give them the benefit of the doubt and continually tell them they are not saved. (How would you like to be my child right about now--eh?)I continually pray out loud in our devotional time and nighttime prayers for God to "save their souls." And I pray in my own private time too.
3) When they do/act/say something that is perceived as a fruit of the Spirit, I try and pick and choose my words carefully. I try not to give them a false sense of security that they are "good" or "kind" or "loving." I try and tell them that they have showed "goodness", "kindness" or "love" toward someone or something (depending on the favorite toy in hand).
4) I try to make a point to never tell them "I'm proud of you." This is such a foreign concept to the world. I want to watch and guard my words carefully so as not to bring a worldly attitude and thought of "self-esteem" into the mix. Those type of psychological terms and concepts are extremely hard to get rid of as they get older. The world wants them to be "proud of themselves" but I find nowhere in scripture where that is true. I try to change those words to, "I am so thankful to God for.... ", depending on the situation.
5) I take every opportunity, for as long as the Lord allows, for them to have devotional time, prayer time and church time. Equal participation, equal time.
6) I will ask their forgiveness for true sin and mistakes that are wrong. In return, I truly try and forgive and forget (which true forgiveness has to "choose to forget") when they are called to repentance.
7) I pray that my 3rd generation christian home will be saturated with discernment and a knowing heart of how easy it will be for my children to parade behind a mask of their parent's faith, verses genuine saving faith. Anyone who has heard my testimony knows that God saved me from the ultimate deceit--believing I was saved and going to heaven--when I wasn't. This slippery slope is one of the biggest mountains and obstacles you will ever face as christian parents trying to influence your children for Christ. It is a truly sad event when christian parents bury their head in the sand, convinced (and subsequently convincing) their children that they are saved, when they are, in fact, not. Genuine love for your children will open discerning eyes and ears that leave no room for assumption.
8) I guard what they watch and read....praying for the kind of X-ray vision that sees through worldly disguises and my own laziness at times.
9) Equally, I guard with whom they are friends--for now.
10) I pray that my character is changed and molded into a non-hypocritical model of what I am preaching to them.
11) I try and remind myself every day that I am raising my children to leave the home. That is the goal. They must be less dependent on me, to become more dependent on Christ. I don't want them to have my faith. I want them to have independent-of-me, saving faith. If I become the overbearing, overprotective, super control freak Mom that I would like to be--I will suffocate and choke the very life they must live to point them to their all-dependency need of Christ.
12) I pray for every opportunity to share the gospel with them. My final point. I realized that when sharing the gospel, even to the unsaved, non-elect, vessels of wrath (as may be my children) I am glorifying God every time I publicly speak the true gospel. It glorifies Him. It doesn't have to be in a conversion situation. Every time the true gospel is publicly shared (whether on deaf ears or hearing ears) it glorifies God. It does not matter my earthly audience...it only matters my obedience and desire to glorify Him.
As I mature and grow in Christ, the gnawing in my gut is replaced by a biblical peace and knowing that the always good, always loving God will deal righteously and justly with my bundles of depraved blessings. He will never compromise His holy character for them, I can rest assured. So I need only ask myself one lingering question--Who do I love more, my children or my God? If I love God more, then I will leave the "elect" question to Him and be wholly obedient to Him in the life of my children; endlessly searching for ways to glorify God while I still have them as a captive audience. I am learning to rest more peacefully at night knowing that the answer is better left to the One who holds their eternal state in His hands anyway. And that, right there, is glorifying to God.
Mark Driscoll Is Evil
Can anyone out there explain to me why Mark Driscoll is evil? You can post in the comments or E-mail me. Thank you.
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