Why We Shouldn't be Trying to Live in the Past

       I would like to discuss an attitude I see in some of Christianity today. Especially among so coined conservative Christianity we tend to idealize the past and think that the American nation of the late 1800's was a close to perfection as anything can get in this life. We think our Christian roots as a nation were the reason the people experiences such prosperity, and that if we could return to that way of life we would have accomplished much in this life. This attitude has several flaws in it that need to be addressed if we are to fully glorify God and live life here where he has placed us.

1. There is no such thing as a Christian nation.

       Christianity is a personal thing. Your family is not a Christian family just because the parents are saved and the nation is not a Christian nation just because there are Christians in it. Every person has to make a decision to follow Christ on their own and no amount of association with the right people will make you a child of God. Being a moral nation does not make you Christian. The only thing that makes you Christian is following Jesus, and that can only be done one person at a time.
      The only nation God has every called his own and used as a beacon of his truth to the world is Israel. Every other nation will rise and fall with time and each will be used by God in his providence but none are his representative in the world. Christianity is not bound by cultural or economic diversity. It crosses all boundaries and can be integrated into any culture. That is one of the beauties of following Christ. You can go anywhere in the world and see believers serving and worshiping God in many different ways and as long as they follow His word, they are all acceptable to him. No one nation has a corner on the truth that makes them better in how they worship God. He gives us freedom to use our differences to worship Him in many different ways.
       America has had a past of some morality and has in it many Christian people. It has given us the freedom to serve God according to our conscience but it is not a Christian nation. If America falls, Christianity will continue, just as it thrived in the past before America was a nation.

2. Christianity is not about morals; it's about Jesus. 

       As I said earlier, Christianity is accepting Jesus as your personal Savior. Once you have done that you are required, as a child of God, to live your life according to the morals and rules that God has established in His word. This shows the truth of your profession of faith in Him because faith without works is dead, but this principle cannot be reversed. Just because you live a good life, tell the truth, love your family, and help the poor doesn't mean you are saved. Salvation is found in Jesus alone; in denying yourself, taking up your cross, and following him.
       Christians need to be seeking one thing and one thing only, and that is Jesus Christ. The past does not have the answers to the problems we face in the world today; Jesus does. Going back to a time when a higher moral standard was culturally accepted will not make the pain of life any less or the path that we should walk any clearer. The only way we can be sure we are walking the right road is by making much of the Lord who saved us.

3. Trying to reform the world is not the duty of the Christian.
     
       The bible tells us that ever since the fall of man the world has been decaying. In the New Testament we are told that sin is going to continue to increase in the time that we live in until it culminates in God totally destroying the world because of it's great wickedness. To try to preserve a dying world is not where our calling lies. We are called to tell others of a better land that will not fade away and where there is no more sin. No matter how hard we try we will not be able to turn back the clock and see a better day. Our hope lies in the future when Jesus will return and set everything to rights.
       Trying to recreate a time when Christian morals were in vogue and liberty abounded should not be our goal. We need to seek out the lost, spread the message of the gospel, and bring as much glory to God as we can in this life. Creating a Christian utopia is not our job. Jesus will set up his kingdom when he comes but until then our kingdom is not of this world.

4. Finally, God never calls us to live in the past.

       The apostle Paul in the epistle to the Philippians say that he did not focus on what was behind but that he pressed on towards the high calling of Jesus Christ. God's will for us is not in the past. As much as we might wish to, we cannot change what has been done or get back to what we miss. God wants us to travel ever further into his love and seek him a new every morning. If we are constantly looking behind us we cannot see what God has for us today. Our Father can answer the hard questions of our times and show us the way that we should deal with the difficult experiences we have, but we have to seek him in the present. He will show us the way, step by step.


       In conclusion, even if we were to return to the glory days of America and were to have more freedom in our country, we would still be lacking in the most important thing. We don't need to get back to the glory days, we need to get back to Jesus. No amount of human freedom will change the heart of man. Conversely, Christianity has thrived most in times of greatest persecution. Maybe by seeking freedom of body instead of purity of heart we have misplaced our priorities. The few years we have in this life matter very little compared to the eternity that is set before us. The best thing we can do in this life is to give it up for Jesus in service of him and others. Nothing of this earth will last, but all that is done in His name and for His glory will be gold and silver and precious stones in the kingdom that is waiting for those who put their trust in him.

The Difference of Perspective

      Let's just say I did not have the best attitude at work that day... I had been put in my least favorite position and I was closing. Dining room is not a difficult job, but to me it's somewhat mind numbing and boring. Oh well, I guess I would just chalk it up as one of those days. One of my tasks was to clean the glass around the store so I was kneeling by the main entrance with my window cleaner and newspaper in hand. An elderly lady walked through the door and smiled. "You're making you're windows pretty." Making you're windows pretty. That was all she said but what a difference it made! Instead of cleaning the windows or just doing my job, it now seemed as if the job had purpose and meaning.
      Our words are such a representation of our hearts. Just as Jesus taught us, out of the heart the mouth speaks. Sometimes it is so easy to get caught up in the repetition of a duty or our distaste for it and have that turn our attitudes sour. What if when we cleaned our houses we didn't think "I can't believe I have to do this again, won't the kids/my husband ever learn to pick up after themselves," but instead "I am grateful to have kids/my husband to make messes and that I have to opportunity to serve them by making this a beautiful home to live in." Wouldn't that change our attitudes about it??
       I have only been married for three months and I know that sometimes the house work can pile up so high it looks like it will never be clean again. I can't imagine how difficult it would be with children! Sometimes I just can't find the motivation to do the dishes, or the laundry, or anything else. Sometimes Netflix, or my phone, or my social life just seems so appealing compared with all the "chores" that are lined up. But ladies, listen. We get the chance to make a home for our families! We get to take care of the house that God and our husbands provide and make it beautiful and welcoming to all the come in. We have to opportunity to make our house a place of refuge for the broken, a house of healing for the weak, and a haven from the world for our husbands and children. If we could catch that wonderful vision of what housekeeping really is, what a joy it would be!
       We can create an atmosphere in our homes of peace, rest, and joy by doing the little things that are distasteful and the big things that are noticed. When your house is neat and tidy you can welcome that new family at church to come home for lunch with you without a twinge of what they will see when they walk in. When your own laundry is done you can go help the young mother who is so overwhelmed she doesn't even know where to start. When your meals are planned and prepared you can take one to the grieving family who just lost a loved one. What a difference it makes when we look at our responsibilities with an eternal perspective and see what we  can accomplish for the kingdom of God in the day to day tasks. Every diaper has a meaning; every dish has a purpose. Aren't we blessed to be able to take part in it?!
       I know it's difficult and sometimes discouraging but let's start again with a fresh heart. Let's look at everything as an opportunity instead of a task. Let's make our windows pretty.

Modesty and Self Image

       So maybe I haven't been as faithful about this whole blogging thing as I had hoped I might be... between working, house keeping, and spending time with Parker I don't get much else done. Right now though I want to take the time to write about something that has been on my heart for a few weeks. I haven't done any extensive research into this but I want to put out my personal observations and see what you think.
       In our culture there seems to be a growing amount of care given to self image. Everywhere girls are comparing themselves to actresses and models and trying to be like someone (something) that in most cases is not even real, and if it is real it isn't healthy or normal. Many girls and women look at themselves in the mirror and are embarrassed or disappointed, never being able to accept the way they are. Before you jump to conclusions, I am not going to go off and say that we just need to learn to accept ourselves and then every thing will be alright. A good self image is not about thinking only good thoughts about ourselves. A good self image is a correct self image. As a Christian, my definition of correct must be defined by God through his word. Therefore I want to bring up a few things that we all might need to consider.

1. What does God's word tell us about our self? 

        The Bible tells us that we are sinners. Sinners can be gloriously redeemed by the blood of Jesus, but the world has been changed by the fall. Before the fall of man that is detailed in Genesis 3, Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed (Gen. 2.25), but because of sin, shame entered the world. At the end of chapter three, God gave Adam and his wife clothes to cover their nakedness and remove the feeling of shame. In America we see an increasing amount of skin showing on girls and women of all ages. Bikinis are the most normal swimsuit and low-cut tops and short shorts are common in all stores across the nation. Seemingly the feeling of shame that Adam and Eve felt has diminished greatly or even completely disappeared from the modern mind. But let's look closer. Maybe it hasn't after all. Could there be a link to immodesty and a poor self image?

2. Maybe we are insecure because we are living outside of God's design?

        Think about your own life as a young girl or woman. What are your thoughts when you look at yourself in the mirror? If I had to guess from my own life they would be something like this. "I don't want anyone to see _____" (fill in the blank). "My legs don't look as good as so-and-so's." In the end, most of our thoughts would come down to comparison and fear of judgment or rejection.  We are insecure because of what people may think of us. When we look to men and their standards and thoughts we will always be disappointed. In the end, no matter how beautiful you are according to worldly standards you will age and the world, that once offered you the loudest praise, will turn it's back on you. When you can no longer meet it's requirements it will forsake you.

       Now. here is my thought. What if we are insecure of what others might think of our bodies because they were never meant to see them in the first place? If our shorts covered our thighs we wouldn't have to worry about the cellulite on the back of our legs. If our breasts were covered the size and shape of them wouldn't matter nearly as much. If we weren't bombarded with the physical parts of others maybe we wouldn't be as judgmental of our own? What if accepting God's design to cover our sinful shame is the only way that we will ever be able to accept ourselves at all? We cannot rid ourselves of the sin on our own, so how could we ever rid ourselves of the shame? 

       Now I would like to share some of my own personal experience. I was trained as a child to protect my modesty. For a time the women in our family wore only skirts or dresses because we believed that to be the best way to preserve a modest and feminine outfit. When I agreed to marry Parker and the wedding drew near I began to grow afraid. I worried over whether he would accept my body the way that it was or if he would be disappointed in me. I knew that I would have no way of hiding things from him and that he would see me as I really was. In some ways that terrified me. Because he knew of my fear, Parker did his best to let me know that he would love me no matter what, and that even though my body wasn't perfect that he wanted me anyway.
      Now having been married just over one month I can say that every insecurity I thought I would have has gone by the wayside. Parker's love and acceptance of me has made the transition so smooth and comfortable. I know that Parker loves me and will always be there for me. That I will never look back and regret choosing to marry him or look ahead at a future without him as long as we both live. Because of that, I can be completely comfortable with him. God has designed a man and wife to be able to enjoy each other fully so there will be no shame in the complete exposure that happens in a marriage.

3. How does this effect our self image though?

       This is what first made me start thinking about how our self image is not so much about if we look perfect but about doing it God's way. Without the sanction of God and the love of Parker there would be so many fears and doubts in my mind. I would have nothing to comfort myself with when I thought that maybe I wasn't good enough or couldn't satisfy Parker. Whenever I do have any doubt at all, I can have confidence that before God I have not sinned and that Parker and I are free to enjoy each other as he designed. In life though, we see so many women exposing themselves to the criticism of man without the protection of love. Not only are they at odds with the world they are trying to appease, but they also have to deal with a defiled conscience before God.
       When we give our body to the world to see there is no way that we can prevent it from judging us. It does not know or love us and it's judgement is based solely on the external. The slightest imperfections will be noticed. If, on the other hand, we chose to live under the protection God has given us and clothe our body in modesty, only the one who loves us more than anything else on earth will ever see it, and he will think it beautiful beyond comparison.

To read more about my thoughts on modesty click here.

  

I'm Back!!

     My blog has been nonexistent for the last several months but I think I am ready to revive it. Ideas for posts are brimming in my brain and I feel the urge to write again. It will probably be a slow process getting them all down but I would love for you all to comment and keep the discussions going on the posts. What I will be posting are my thoughts on issues and I would love to hear your perspective on things.

     For this post I am just going to give an update on life and where I am now. On December 13th of this year I married Parker Koons. He is a wonderful, godly man and I am so happy to be his wife! Our journey together has been shorter than some (we dated only six months), but God has blessed it through all the ups and downs, mistakes and victories. I am so excited to see where God is going to take our marriage! It is going to be a wild ride of adventure with so much to learn, but our pray is that God would use us greatly to impact the culture around us for him. With that as our goal it should never be boring!

      We are currently residing in a small college town in the Midwest. He will be continuing his education seeking a pastoral degree and we will be working towards me being able to come home to work. Hopefully I will be able to get him to contribute to this blog as well. :)

      There will be another post soon, probably over the weekend. I hope that you all had a merry Christmas and that God will bless your new year as you seek his face and long to know him better. Thanks for stopping by!
 

Christians and Music

       Music is a big topic in the church these days. There is a constant debate as to whether we should sing Contemporary or Traditional songs, how much we should keep up with the modern trends, and how to keep everyone happy while doing whatever it is we decide to do. Because it is so controversial, music has even divided the church into several distinct camps that are each sure they are right and are not willing to compromise. While I know that all sides of the issue have valid points and that it is nearly impossible to give the right answer in this situation, I would like to suggest that the problem of what music we sing in our churches goes deeper than whether or not we like drums. I believe that it starts with a philosophy of life that will change our perspective on why we use music in the first place. The fact the we are created in the image of God.
      Genesis 1:27 say that "God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them" (English Standard Vers.). Being made in the image of God means that we have similar attributes, character, and desires as him on a finite scale. We are supposed to be able to represent God in every way. The Fall of Man in Genesis three made us imperfect representations of him. Now all those areas where we were like God have been twisted and perverted because of sin. But, when a person accepts Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord they are given a new heart and the ability to be like Christ, the second figure in the god head. It is therefore our responsibility as Christians to seek to accurately represent God in every part of his character.
      Now, you are probably wondering what this has to do with music. God is a creative god. When he made the world he infused it with colors and sounds, scents and textures, all different and all beautiful. When he made us in his image he intended for us to be a creative people. We can use every area of life to bring honor and glory to God from going to church to painting a picture. This includes music. God created music and meant  for it to be used for worship of him through both the text and the accompaniment. The beauty and harmony of "The Four Season" by Vivaldi can bring just as much glory to God as the hymn "Great is Thy Faithfulness." The only requirement is that it be done with an attitude of humility and service with a recognition of our complete dependence on God.
      To apply this to our modern situation, I think a misunderstanding of this principle has made Christians in the past reluctant to enter the field of music apart from writing specifically "Christian" songs. Because of this, the secular world has been the only influence on new developments in the world of music. New styles and genres were introduced my non-Christians and were therefore thought of as "worldly", when in fact, they were only different. The word of God commands us to sing a new song to the Lord and to not endlessly repeat the same thing in our communication with God. This is not to say that we can never sing the same song twice, but we need to be careful not to do the same thing all the time our of tradition. Christians should be in the very front of discovery and development of music because as reflections of a great God our creativity should know no bounds in this regards.
       To clarify, I want to say that while a song does not have to have Christian lyrics to glorify God, if the words of a song are against the teaching of God's word then there should be no place for it in our lives. Music can be corrupted by sin so we still need to have discernment when deciding what influences to let into our lives.
       This video by Jeff Bethke speaks to the same topic and would be well worth your time to watch.

      In conclusion I would just like to say that Christ desires unity in his church. He gave his blood to unite a people for himself to serve and worship him through all eternity, so when we use music as an issue of division in our lives we have put it on the level of an idol. We are all going to have to give up our own desires in this as we humbly seek after the truth, but if we seek, above all else, to honor God with what we are doing we cannot go far wrong.

The Love of God

    I feel as if I had just discover a gold mine! I am reading the book The Cross Centered Life by C. J. Mahaney for a class here at BBC and this chapter was on legalism. I have always struggled with legalism. For the longest time I trusted in my own works instead of the finished work of Jesus for my salvation, and it wasn't until I was 16 years old that I finally realized that by faith alone I could be saved. Even after I was saved though I still struggled with guilt and having a set of rules that I felt like I had to follow to be a "good" Christian.
    For some reason, I had always had a misunderstanding of what love is really like. I thought that you were perfectly justified in treating people differently by how they had treated you in the past. People had tried to explain to me that love is unconditional, but I never truly understood. THis even effected how I thought of God. Whenever I had sinned I would not want to pray, and if I did I would come with fear and trembling. At these times, my prayers were about how unworthy I was to come before him because of my sin. Now, don't get me wrong, I think we should have reverence when we come to God. My problem was that I only felt this way when I had broken a "rule". In essence I was saying that at other times I was worthy to come to him because of my good behavior.
    In the book, Mr. Mahaney discussed what legalism is. "Legalism is seeking to achieve forgiveness from God and justification before God by obedience to God." (pg. 112) That was my attitude exactly. I thought that I could some how make God happy with me by all the good things that I did. I also thought that he would not receive me if I in sin. He went on to explain though how, when we were saved we were declared righteous before God because of the work of Jesus. His righteousness was applied to us, and we were given access to the Father.
    Through reading this book I have come to see how wrong I was! God receives on the merit of Jesus Christ. Once we are his children, he always welcomes us with open arms when we come to him. His love is unconditional and will last forever! The truth and wonder of it is overwhelming to me right now. I can always come to him no matter what I have done. It reminds me of the words to one of my favorite hymns.

 

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

 

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.

 

When years of time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men, who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

 

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky

Lessons in Missouri

    Well it is late but I thought I would post something so that my blog is not completely dead. :) I am busy and right now working on time management so that I can get done what needs to be done and not waste any of what God has given me. There are so many things that I am learning in my new home. Hopefully when I get to my California home (on December 14th!) I will be able to go more in depth but for right now an overview will have to do.
    First of all, the Lord is sufficient. He can and will fulfill the deepest longings of you heart in ways that are truly amazing. Being from home for the first time and not really having anyone to depend on at first, I had to learn that He is all I need. He is such a gracious God. He has guided me and shown me his love in ways to numerous to count. Everything, big or little, is under his control and he cares! There is nothing too small for his notice.
    Secondly, I am learning respect for authority. I am naturally very independently minded and the Lord is using both living with my Grandma and going to school to teach me a humble my spirit and to give up my own way. Even when there is nothing wrong with what I want to do, I need to always consider those around me and what would be most honoring to them. Sometimes it is so hard to submit myself to those in charge but I pray that God would use this time to refine me in that way and cultivate in me a Christ-like humility.
    Lastly, and less seriously, I am learning the ways of the mid-west. Words such as folk, supper, and ya"ll are slowly creeping in to my vocabulary as well as saying yes ma'am and no sir. I have mixed feelings about the expanded vocab. Sir and ma'am are alright but I don't really like "folk". A month in Cali should fix that though. ;)
    May the God of peace be with you all as you travel the path laid out for you! And just for Dad, I felt "Christmassy" for the first time today. :)