Love

Love
LOVE bade me welcome; yet my soul drew back,
Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning
If I lack'd anything.

"A guest," I answer'd, "worthy to be here:"
Love said, "You shall be he."
"I, the unkind, ungrateful? Ah, my dear,
I cannot look on Thee."
Love took my hand and smiling did reply,
"Who made the eyes but I?"

"Truth, Lord; but I have marr'd them: let my shame
Go where it doth deserve."
"And know you not," says Love, "Who bore the blame?"
"My dear, then I will serve."
"You must sit down," says Love, "and taste my meat."
So I did sit and eat.

George Herbert. 1593–1632

I had to read this poem multiple times out loud to find the right cadence and voice, but once I did its meaning hit me, and I was utterly amazed at the truth of it. George is referring to God in this poem, and how unworthy we humans find ourselves feeling of His love and devotion to us.

Such was His love and devotion that He always wants to spend time with us, and such was His devotion that he took ALL our sin and shame on Himself so that we would be washed clean and be able to rest in His presence for all eternity. He made us out of love, took our sin from us out of love, and pursues us even when we stray- all out of love. And what is God? LOVE.

With that in mind, read it again.

Guns again? Alrighty then- answer me this.....

I have a question for those who are pronouncing that we need to remove the right to own certain types of firearms from those who own them, train with them, study them and use them. I'm talking specifically about an AR-15 or AK-47 due to the recent tragedy in Orlando (you know, the ones that some of you call "assault rifles" which, by the way, gives away your ignorance on this topic), but any gun that someone wants to "ban", "control" or "regulate" qualifies. So- let's just ask some pointed questions to assess your qualifications to make such a pronouncement....

1. What is your experience and background with these weapons? Have you ever shot one? Trained with one? Studied the physics of one to understand how they work compared to a handgun or other type of firearm (again if you are calling it an assault rifle then your answer needs to be NO here because clearly you haven't done any of this enough).

2. Did you know that the AR-15 is the weapon of choice for millions of honest, law-abiding Americans for home defense? How do YOU know better than roughly 5 million Americans and what gives YOU or anyone else for that matter the right to determine how people chooses to defend their home against criminals who, by the way. won't be following any portion of the law?

3. WOMEN- have you seen what happens when a man attacks a woman? As a woman- do you want to be AT LEAST equally equipped against an attack from a stronger/bigger/more powerful man so you can defend yourself and your children (personally I'd go with better equipped, but I'm not the one trying to ban guns or someone's God-given right to defend herself any way necessary so I assume you aren't me)? If you answered yes- could you tell me what would make you EQUALLY EQUIPPED? So if he has only his physical strength and no other weapons- what gives you an equal chance? Certainly not your physical strength. A knife then? How close do you have to come to a person to use a knife successfully? How do you feel about your chances of defense if you only have a knife and are faced with going toe to toe with him and your measly knife? You do understand that the police will likely not make it in time to "save" you, or are you thinking that calling 911 is your best defense? How about your children? How do you think you will feel hiding in a closet with your children while you listen to the intruder (or INTRUDERS which is becoming increasingly common) ransack your house looking for you? Remember- when seconds count the police are only minutes away.

4. Do you have a plan that will actually work to remove all weapons from the market once you disarm honest law-abiding citizens? Somehow there are still guns and gun violence in other countries that have strict gun control- if they are banned then how is that possible? How about high capacity magazines- maybe if we ban those these mass shootings would stop....well, hold on a minute.... have you ever trained with an AR-15 and practiced dropping an empty magazine and reloading (oh, duh, you haven't and have no idea, that's why we are conducting this little question and answer with you)? Do you know how long that takes? No? I'll tell/show you- not long- I can load up on 10 round mags and be just as effective as I would be with one giant magazine that holds 30+ rounds (hand guns are similar, btw). Could it be that your fear of these weapons is actually MORE DANGEROUS than the weapons themselves? I'd say yes if it is informing your decision making.

5. Violent crime sans guns- have you seen reports showing the increase in violent crime in countries with strict gun control? Gun violence may drop, but violent crime goes UP. HUGE. So- tell me- if you or your family were to be a victim of such crime and were unable to protect yourself because you didn't have proper means to do so- would knowing that at least the criminal didn't have a gun make you feel better? After all, you want to be "fair" to the criminal, right- and if all he has is a knife then it isn't fair for you to have a gun, right?

People- if you don't have any experience with this stuff- if you don't have an intimate understanding of how brutal these home invasions and these criminals are- if you have never even held much less shot and trained with one of these firearms then you do not have a valid opinion on this topic. The end.

Suicide

My heart is hurting right now for a family whose Sophomore daughter (in my son's class) committed suicide this past weekend. From everything my son has told me and that I have read in the comments to her funeral notice, this was a complete shock to all. Not even her best friend knew there was something so wrong that she would take her own life.

As a parent, this has rocked me to my core. Even though I didn't know her it is hard not to think about your own children at a time like this. How would I ever survive if one of them decided to take their own life? How much harder would it be if there were no signs at all that my child was struggling in this way? I have so many questions, but are there ever really any answers at a time like this?

As a Christian this has caused me look for what God's Word tells us regarding such matters. Growing up Catholic I was taught that someone who commits suicide can't go to Heaven. I'm not sure what Catholicism teaches about this now, but since I seek assurance and teachings straight from the Bible instead of religion, I decided to go there for an answer. Here is what I have determined...

Scripture tells us that ALL we have to do to be saved is to believe that Jesus Christ is our Savior, that He died for our sins and rose on the third day and to receive His sacrifice by faith.

"For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

"This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of His blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— He did it to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the One who justifies those who have faith in Jesus." Romans 3:22-26

It does NOT say that we are to sin no more. As a matter of fact it says that we are sinners, and as long as we are alive here on planet earth we will ALWAYS be sinners. This is why we need Jesus, and why His ultimate sacrifice for us was so monumental, because without Him taking on our punishment, we had no shot at Heaven.

". . . as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one.” Romans 3:10-12

Now- if one sin existed that could keep us out of Heaven, what would His death have been for? If we could lose our salvation once we have it, what would be the point of Jesus' death and resurrection? And which sin would that be? Lying? Stealing? Suicide? How would we know? Plus, the Bible tells us that God does not differentiate between sins. He hates ALL sin- which is why Jesus had to die for us. Because God is just and there had to be punishment for breaking His laws... and since we are wretched sinners and all....

"For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law." James 2:10-11

Because of Jesus' death and resurrection our sins are forgiven. FORGIVEN! ALL OF THEM! That is what the Good News is all about. If we are Believers and have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior then we are forgiven and granted a pass to Heaven that no one can EVER revoke. Not ever. Our standing before God is not based on how we perform.... it is not based on works, it is not based on our own obedience, but on the obedience of Jesus Christ who was obedient in our place all the way to the Cross.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

Now, there is so much more to say about all of this. I believe that if you are truly saved and have Jesus in your heart, then you are also CHANGED. Changed in such a way that you live and act differently. Some people will argue that Scripture says things like "faith without works is dead" (James 2) and it does... but the context around this is truly beyond the scope of this post. The point here is that, once you are saved, one sin- no matter WHAT the sin is, cannot lose you your salvation. So the answer to the question "Can a Christian who commits suicide go to heaven" is YES. Without question. If you are truly a saved Christian based on what the Bible teaches- then there is nothing you can do to lose your salvation. Amen to that.

And if by the Grace of God you are reading this because you are considering committing suicide or have even small fleeting thoughts about it here and there, please please please go right now and read this. Right now. You are loved by a God who never forsakes us, no matter what our flawed and vulnerable human minds might think at times. Please go read it now.

Are you a live fish.... or a dead fish?

How did we get here?  Republicans are saying that we cannot allow Bernie or Hillary win the White House because it will be game over for this country. Democrats are saying the same thing about the Republican candidates (well, candidate at this point). Republicans and Conservatives are so divided that there are threats of riots and general mayhem if Trump doesn’t win, and many others, myself included, would rather write in Daffy Duck than vote for Trump (yet would never vote for Hillary or Bernie either), but when we say that we are vilified by people who say that we will be to blame if the wrong person gets into office because we didn’t compromise our values and support someone that we simply do not support.

Why is it so hard to come to agreement on what is best for this country and the people who live here? How have we become so divided on the issues of right and wrong? When did we lose our grasp of moral absolutes and instead become a nation and a world of random morality? Morality isn’t a tomato (long A) tomato (short A) issue, but you wouldn’t know it by the way we act.

We can’t even agree on how and why this country was founded. There are documents and letters from our Founders available to everyone to read, yet interpretations of these vary widely. Even the words in our Bill of Rights are subject to interpretations so inconsistent with each other as to be impossible to apply. And don’t even get me started on the Bible- there are more “versions” and more interpretations than we can even count… and even with mountains of solid historical evidence, including the incredible consistencies in a book that was written by more than 40 writers from 3 continents over the course of 2000 years there are those that claim there simply is not enough evidence to believe.

I heard a quote yesterday while listening to a Truth for Life sermon called “The Good Deposit”  that I thought was really good.  “Any dead fish can float with the current but it takes a live fish to swim against the current”

With all that is happening in this country, Christians, we MUST focus on being a live fish in order to combat the current of our culture. How do you do that? READ YOUR BIBLE- really read your Bible. Everyday, ideally, but many times a week for sure. I personally find a lot of encouragement and support in various online ministries such as Truth for Life… they have a ton of free resources, an App for both Android and iPhone, online sermons (that you can also get in the App)… and it is rooted in the Bible. Check them out.

If you call yourself a Christian and claim to believe in God and love Jesus you must feed yourself with proper nourishment, and the best food for your soul is God’s Word. End of story. If you’ve let the busyness of life get in the way (as I do often) then let this be your reminder that nothing… NOTHING is more important than serving our Lord. He is the reason we are here, and in the grand scheme of things your life on earth will be over in the blink of an eye. Don’t get so wrapped up in this world that you forget where your home really is, and what the ultimate goal of this life is. Eternity is coming…..

Cut them off!

What do you struggle with in your quest to fight the good fight for our Lord? What sin or weakness, no matter how small or how great, worries you- that you may never overcome it? Do you possess the Fruits of the Spirit, or are you lacking in one or more?


Friends, Brothers and Sisters, I may post about my love for Jesus and my desire to honor and glorify Him, but I am as weak as anyone. This is why I read Scripture and follow the message of various teaching pastors who preach the true Gospel; to keep me focused on the only One who has the power to save me from myself. Some of Alistair Begg's messages don't speak to me as well as others, and some I don't even read. But some, like today's, are so profound and on point to me that they are worthy of being put up on my wall. This is one of those....

Cut Them Off!

In the name of the Lord I cut them off!

Psalm 118:12

"Our Lord Jesus, by His death, did not purchase a right to just a part of us, but to all of us. He pondered in His passion our complete sanctification—spirit, soul, and body, that in every area He Himself might reign supreme without a rival. It is the business of the newborn nature that God has given to the regenerate to assert the rights of the Lord Jesus Christ.

My soul, insofar as you are a child of God, you must conquer all the rest of yourself that remains unblessed; you must subdue all your powers and passions, and you must never be satisfied until He who is King by purchase also becomes King by gracious coronation and reigns in you supreme. Seeing, then, that sin has no right to any part of us, we are involved in good and lawful warfare when we seek, in the name of God, to drive it out. Since my body is a member of Christ, shall I tolerate subjection to the prince of darkness?

My soul, Christ has suffered for your sins and redeemed you with His most precious blood; do not allow your memory to store up evil thoughts or your passions to be the occasion of sin. Do not allow your judgment to be perverted by error or your will to be led in chains of iniquity. No, my soul, you are Christ's, and sin has no right to you.

Be courageous concerning this, O Christian! Be not dispirited, as though your spiritual enemies could never be destroyed. You are able to overcome them—but not in your own strength—the weakest of them would be too much for you; but you can and shall overcome them through the blood of the Lamb. If you wonder how to dispossess them since they are greater and mightier than you, go to the strong for strength, wait humbly upon God, and the mighty God of Jacob will surely come to your rescue, and you will sing of victory through His grace."

Weakness- the human condition

Today I was reading out of my Daily Devotional New Testament book that I purchased from Truth for Life. I will admit I have not been very good about reading this, and am only on January 16th... but it is so amazing how God puts exactly what I need to hear in front of me at just the right time. I was writing in my journal about my struggle with weakness. I have a hard time following through on plans and commitments to myself that require discipline and sacrifice. I spend too much money, I eat food that is bad for me and makes me feel bad, I sleep in instead of exercising when I know I will feel better if I just do it, you know what I mean. I ended my journal entry with: "Are all Believers this weak?"

Then, right after I wrote that, this is what I read (pay particular attention to the commentary after the Bible verse):

Matthew 7:24 "Everyone then who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who build his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

COMMENTARY FROM THE BOOK: "Jesus explains that some who claim to follow Him are not, in fact, true disciples. True Christian discipleship is genuine when it arises from a heart and mind transformed by God's grace. Jesus wants us to recognize that this inner transformation will inevitably bear good fruit (Matt. 7:17-20). True Christians have been transformed, and their lifestyles prove it." [THIS IS THE PART I AM REFERRING TO IN MY COMMENTS ABOVE-THE PART GOD PUT RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME AT EXACTLY THE RIGHT TIME] "This does not mean that Believers are flawless. They will have to battle and turn from sin until the day they die. It does mean, however, that their pattern of life now suggests that they have started down a new path (v.14). It would no longer be accurate to describe genuine Christians as "workers of lawlessness" (v.23). They have entered into an authentic relationship with Jesus, and are now laboring to build their lives upon what He has said (v.24).

So, Christian friends, take heart! Your struggles are just a fact of your being human, and have nothing to do with your heart for Christ or desire to follow and please Him. Don't give up- remember, those who persevere/ stand firm until the end will have eternal life (Matt 24:13)

Letter to our lawmakers- defend the 2nd amendment!

Gun owners and supporters of the Second Amendment had better sit up and take notice of what is happening in Washington. Losing Justice Scalia was a HUGE blow to us in many ways, but especially when it comes to having 2A support on the Supreme Court. Now, we no longer have majority support for what is arguably one of the most important Constitutional amendments. Four justices believe law-abiding Americans have that right – and four justices do not. The person who becomes the next justice is critical to whether or not we can continue to LEGALLY exercise the GOD-GIVEN right to defend ourselves or not.

It is no secret that President Obama has nothing but contempt for the Second Amendment. He has already nominated two Supreme Court justices who oppose the right to own firearms and there is absolutely no reason to think he will do anything different this time. That is what is so concerning about what is happening in Washington right now with his nomination of Merrick Garland. This man's judicial record shows that he does not respect our fundamental, individual right to keep and bear arms for self-defense. Confirming him would be a disaster.

It is also no secret that the Republicans in congress have been a HUGE disappointment to voters since they took control of the House and Senate. I am very fearful that they will continue to be weak and wimpy now even though they are talking big about not allowing a Supreme Court confirmation to take place until the next president is in office. Yeah, sure. 

I'm not sure what difference it will make to write letters and contact your Representatives, but we cannot just sit around waiting to see what will happen. We must act and do whatever we can do to make sure this critical right is not taken away from us. Not without a fight! If you believe in the Second Amendment, if you believe GOD provided you with the right to self defense, if you do not want to be faced with either having this right stripped of you OR going against the law to continue to protect yourself, please consider being vocal about this. There are too many gun owners in America for any acts against us to succeed, UNLESS too many of us sit on our hands and wish and hope instead of acting.

I wrote this letter to my representatives today, and encourage you to do the same. Feel free to use any part of the below letter in yours, I am putting it out there as an open invitation to help you if you aren't sure what to say.

LETTER TO MY REPRESENTATIVE, MAY BE USED WITHOUT PERMISSION OR CREDIT:

Dear "insert name here",

I am writing you today to plead with you to support the Second Amendment and OPPOSE anything and anyone who threatens our Second Amendment rights in any way. 

For most of my life I didn't think very much about my own personal protection aside from locking my doors and being aware of my surroundings. After I became a mom the idea that I was somehow invincible or impervious to being the victim of violence has left me, only to be replaced by the knowledge of not only my own mortality, but also how dangerous this world has become and how necessary it is that we all have the means and ability to protect ourselves and our family members. My four children depend on me for much, and protection from those who would harm them is one of the things they count on me to do.

Just like I try to eat well and exercise to protect myself from diseases and ailments that affect all of us, so also do I train and practice self-defense techniques that include both physical and firearm training. I do not ever want to be in the position to either be helpless against an attacker or to have to rely on someone else to protect me or my children should the unthinkable happen.

As a woman I know I am at a disadvantage physically should I ever be confronted by a male attacker, armed or not. Add to that being faced with an attack while trying to protect my children, well, you can understand how that multiplies my disadvantage.

"Insert name here", please listen to your fellow "Insert state name here" who truly want to be law abiding citizens but are fearful about a future where we will no longer be able to protect ourselves from the criminals who don't care at all what the gun laws are. Disarming us, or supporting someone who will, is tantamount to telling me and my children that our lives don't really matter to you. When the data doesn't support that stronger gun legislation decreases crime or makes us safer but instead INCREASES crime and creates more victims, what other conclusion could there be when lawmakers still insist on fighting this amendment which is essential to our right of self-defense?

Thank you so much for reading, and I pray you will work to support all "insert state name here" law-abiding gun owners on this issue.

All my best to you and your family.