What Divides Us

The only thing that alienates us from one another is the same thing that alienates us from God: sin. The color of our skin, along with whether we are male or female, extroverted or introverted, artistic or technically inclined - all these wonderful characteristics that are wrapped up in our person - are qualities given to us by our Creator, and He deemed them good! 

We should be wary of reinforcing a narrative that points to a different dividing line than sin, for the solution can never be attainable. Instead, this narrative will only lay on new burdens, build new walls and drive wedges between us. Jesus Christ made peace and reconciliation attainable through his death on a cross. He did not give his life on our behalf for us to then turn around and retreat to opposing camps separated by a deep, precipitous chasm that no one can cross. 

No. Rather his word says in Ephesians 2:14-15 "For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace."

In Christ we can experience the beginning of this reconciliation between sinners as we seek to love as He has loved us and practice forgiveness and giving grace. But even so, this peace will not be perfect until Jesus returns to make all things right. At that time, those of us who are in Christ, who long with all our hearts for that day, will witness and partake in this wonderous prophecy:

"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'" Revelation 7:9-10

In Christ alone rests my hope for the restoration of all things. Soli Deo Gloria.

Joy in My Sorrow

A letter to a friend who has gone to be with Jesus.

Dear, darling Erica,

Oh my sweet friend and beloved sister in Christ. I am grieved beyond comprehension at hearing of your early departure to be with our Savior, Jesus, who you love so much, yet I rejoice in your homecoming because I know there's nowhere else you'd rather be. You were such a forgiving and kind, tenderhearted friend to me. Truly, you loved everyone with the love of Christ, your heart so pure, genuine and full of compassion. I am tremendously blessed to know you, dear friend. So thankful for all our talks we had heart to heart. All the times we spent together talking about Jesus and what it means to live a life truly surrendered to him. Your earnest desire to honor, love and serve Jesus was the deep cry of your heart and it propelled you forward in all you did. You always wanted to share God's love with everyone and I know how often you have gone to the Lord interceding for your friends, classmates and coworkers, praying that they would come to know Jesus. You also shared God’s love and the power of the gospel with the nations, in Haiti, Nicaragua and more recently and closest to your heart, in Mongolia. Your faithfulness and selflessness both challenge and encourage me to press on and continue running this race with endurance. You have joined the great cloud of witnesses! How awesome is that?

Sweet Erica, I am going to miss you always. I can just see your smiling face and feel your hugs; hear your voice, as though you were still here. I can't believe you're gone. I love you so much. I look forward to giving you the biggest hug ever and I look forward to thanking you for being the generous, selfless, wonderful friend that you have been to me. I can't wait to sing praises with you again, and play guitar together, except this time in the radiant light of our God, instead of sitting in a warm patch of sunshine on our living room floor. Your life is a treasure, and mine is boundlessly blessed to have not only crossed paths with yours, but to also have been intermingled with yours. I am forever grateful to my loving Father God for bringing you into my life. A ray of bright, pure light, a dazzling beauty of a woman, the fragrant aroma of Jesus. Your testimony will forever inspire me, Erica; your life, light, and love I will always remember with great gladness! I have only loved you imperfectly, but I know one day I will be able to love you purely and without fault, and I shall know you far more deeply and richly than I already do. Oh happy, happy, glorious day!

So in the meantime dear friend which I pray passes in the blink of an eye, enjoy all the amazing celebrations at your homecoming! I hope we're housemates again in the place our Father is preparing for us. Maybe you're already there checking it out. I'm sure there's an open pasture beyond where beautiful horses come to graze, and even some funny, stubborn goats, hehe. See you later, precious friend. I can't wait!

Love always, your sister in Christ,

Heather

        

Erica with one of her favorite study buddies, Keebler, in the house we shared with our other dear friend, Britt, on Magnolia Lane in Blacksburg, Virginia.

   

 

“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.” Proverbs 4:18

Erica’s obituary can be found here.

Our Portion in Life

Psalm 16:6 "The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance."

What lot has God dealt you in life? Do you accept the portion you are given and say that it is sufficient? Or simply adequate? Do you shake your fist at God and ask "Why am I not given more?"

When you look at your family, your relationships, your home, your bank account, your possessions and your job, do you delight in the abundance of provisions you have? Or do you see a lack, an absence, an unsatisfactory sufficiency? What if we are all widows with only a handful of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the jar? Cannot God cause what we have to stretch, multiply and fulfill all our needs? Do we declare His provisions contemptible, or do we train our eyes to see the rich, gracious and ample nature of all that we have in Christ?

Walk in My Shoes 2012

On February 20, 2012, I had the honor and privilege of meeting Lauren Book at a small, intimate reception in Perry, Florida. A “thriving survivor” of childhood sexual abuse, Lauren was nearing the end of her third annual event, “Walk in My Shoes”. The first year she walked 500 miles, 1000 the next and now this year she tripled the initial distance to 1500 miles.  With a small, close-knit support team including a photographer, drivers and logistics personnel, Lauren has walked from Key West up across the Florida panhandle and then doubled back towards Tallahassee. Along the way, people have joined up with the group at cities and towns across Florida to walk with Lauren and show their support. The goal of the walk is to raise awareness of the terrible abuses committed against children everywhere and empower victims to tell someone about their experiences and seek professional help. I only spoke briefly to Lauren, but she was very warm and friendly. We spoke a little about our college experiences and life after college, plans for the future, etc. There were many people there and I couldn’t take up too much of her time talking, but she really impressed me as being sweet and genuine.

 

Lauren & I at the dinner reception Monday night.

The following day, February 21, I joined nearly 500 other walkers for a short, triumphant march down the center of small, sleepy Perry where childhood sexual abuse and incest abounds. Wearing matching T-shirts and holding balloons, the large crowd of locals that spanned generations was upbeat, noisy and smiling. Although the morning was a bit cool with the threat of rain clouds rolling overhead, a powerful energy seemed to well up amongst the walkers, unifying the crowd and bringing hope and healing to the survivors among them. I walked alongside a new friend I made, Patricia, who was a part of Lauren’s team and also happened to be Venezuelan! It was a providential meeting and we both enjoyed chatting about our shared background and many other things.

 

The whole group of walkers at the end, with Lauren front and center.

At the end of the walk we took lots of pictures, ate cake from a giant, multi-hundred dollar cake designed to look like Lauren’s bus and took turns huddling under a tent as the cool rain began to fall. Slowly the crowd dissipated as small groups remained behind, people sharing their stories, laughing together and expressing their surprise and excitement over the unexpectedly large turnout we’d had. Off to one side, the team photographer, Omar, spoke to a group of women including a lady and her daughters who had been victims of sexual abuse. As they shared their stories for the camera and posed for pictures, they stood by each other’s sides, full of support and love for one another. They smiled for the cameras and stood up tall, beautiful in their strength and will to survive, thrive and overcome.

As it became clear that it was time for everyone to disband and Lauren’s team to move on to their next event, I couldn’t shake the urge to speak with Lauren one more time, to express my gratitude to her and give her one last hug. Helping me overcome my shyness, a driver on the team, Axel, handed me a copy of Lauren’s book and shoved me in her direction. Lauren graciously signed my copy and listened as I scrambled to say a few things to her. I can’t really remember exactly what I said, but I hope she understood that I was very glad to have met her! After one more hug and a picture, we parted ways – Lauren to continue her walk which finished today in Tallahassee, and I to go home, forever inspired and forever changed.

That night I started reading Lauren’s book, It’s OK to Tell, and couldn’t put it down. Many times I had to stop for a moment to regain the strength to keep reading. The tears poured down my cheeks and my heart ached for Lauren. I just wanted to reach through the pages and wrap my arms around the little girl who suffered so much, wishing to protect her and vying for her with every inch of my fiber. I had to finish her story. I needed to know how she was finally set free and where her journey of healing and freedom had taken her. It must have been nearing 5 A.M. when I finally finished reading the book and managed to drift off to sleep. Sitting here now, I look down at my teal, rubber bracelet. It says “LaurensKids.org” on one side and “39 Million” on the other. 39 million is the number of childhood sexual abuse survivors living in the U.S. today. I plan to wear my bracelet until it falls apart and then get a new one.

There is one more thing I want to share, something I learned by being around Lauren and watching her interactions with others. You see, Lauren is one of the most beautiful people I have ever met. Undoubtedly she is very lovely in a physical sense, but her beauty goes much, much deeper. The most attractive quality a person can have is this: to be unconcerned for oneself, to be stripped of all self-consciousness and in the moment to give freely of oneself to others. This is what Lauren does, she makes herself readily available to those around her as she loves on them, affirms and encourages them. She gives no thought to herself but just gives and gives, genuinely and unreservedly. It is this selflessness that makes Lauren truly beautiful. She is living a life of joy and fulfillment by giving herself in service and love to others.

 

Lauren holds hands with a new friend as they walk together in Perry.

Lauren and others near the end of the 2 mile walk in Perry.

I will remember Lauren and her kindness in the years to come. I will pray for her continued recovery and strength to endure. Lauren, this is my prayer and hope for you, taken from Isaiah 58:11-12:

May the LORD guide you always; may he satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and strengthen your frame. May you be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. May you rebuild the ancient ruins and raise up the age-old foundations;
and may you be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

I am so thankful and blessed to have been a part of this remarkable woman’s journey.

Thanks for reading!

~Heather

You can find Lauren’s book on Amazon by following the link below:

http://amzn.com/B004LWZ00S

Visit LaurensKids.org to learn more about the work Lauren does.

All photos by Omar Vega

Questioning science, i.e. evolution as fact, and its right to rule our lives …

… and a look at education in Texas on the fundamental level.

“Evolution is a proven fact. There are mounds of scientific evidence supporting it. Just ask anyone who is an educated intellectual.” This is my paraphrase of the multitudes of articles and comments I’ve read in the past discussing the clash between Evolution and Creationism and whether or not Intelligent Design should be taught in schools. To lend credibility to the predictability of secular beliefs on this matter, I’m going to go find any recent article posted on the topic and look through it. I’ll be right back . . .

. . .Ok, I’m back. I searched Google News for “Intelligent Design in schools” and clicked on this article from the University of Houston’s college newspaper, The Daily Cougar. The title reads Intelligent design has no place in Texas classrooms^[1]. 

Here are some of the article's points taken verbatim:

Poll: Evangelical Millennials Support Homosexual Issues

A survey released towards the end of August by the Public Religion Research Institute revealed that 44 percent of white evangelical Millennials favor same-sex marriage, compared to only 12 percent of evangelical seniors and 19 percent of evangelicals overall.

See the findings here: http://www.citizenlink.com/2011/08/31/poll-evangelical-millennials-support-homosexual-issues/

This is a tough issue in the sense that so many are struggling to have a CORRECT biblical view on homosexuality. Though it's clear from scripture that it's a devastating sin, Millennials (my generation) have bought into the liberal, progressive, secularized implications of ideas like "tolerance" and "to each his own", etc. They've also bought the concept hook, line and sinker that a person's religion is their personal business only, a matter of individual preference. These things coupled with widespread downplaying of the accuracy and authority of the bible have left Millennials with a mismatched roadmap for life and a broken navigational compass.

We need to be exhorted to fully examine the theology or ideologies that currently dictate our lifestyles, not for the sake of making everything relative (like the apparent agenda of Rob Bell), but rather to expose the holes in our theology and the infiltration of secularism - perhaps unbeknownst to us - in order to adhere solely to the comprehensive and absolute truth of scripture.

Resuming a talk on the issues

It’s been a while since I’ve written on this blog, over a year in fact. It’s also been a while since I’ve been dedicated to writing in general. After beating around the bush in the face of serious writer’s block for what seems like an eternity to me, I’m back in the game of writing. And I plan to stay back in the game.

I’ve also spent too much time just deliberating over whether or not I should start a new blog to kick off writing again. Or if I should stick with an old blog but register it under a new domain. In short, I’ve been splitting hairs over things like what to name my blog and it’s ridiculous because it just keeps contributing to my dumb writer’s block. So I decided to stop puttering around and just take off.

I’ll be writing here for the time being, about whatever issues and topics I find compelling and worth discussing. I may update my other blog from time to time but it will not happen very frequently. I’m ready to shift my focus from stories of my so-called “adventures” to the daily cultural war and fight against misleading ideologies and half-truths.

May the mystery of the gospel and the truth of the scriptures be my guiding light.

Perspective for the Future

I just realized something perhaps a bit profound – for me at least. And that is this, that it is not incumbent upon me that I come up with the perfect plan for living my life. That includes choosing the perfect career path to follow or the perfect course of study should I return to school to pursue a higher degree. I am in no way possessing the miraculous powers needed to correctly see into the future in order to devise a perfect plan of action. Rather, one who knows me intimately is even now directing my steps and taking me where He wills.

I wish to be more sensitive to the gentle tug and lead of His hand rather than wildly thrashing about in pursuit of seemingly endless possibilities for my future that threaten to drown me with their sheer enormity. My job is only to make my calling and election sure. As to what tasks I am to do…well they will be clearly assigned and duly noted when the timing is right. For now, I am to continue walking in the present light that I have been given, which is all He asks of me.

A Prayer of Confession and Supplication

Lord, I am sorry for abandoning my pursuit of you. I grew weary of the race and got off track. This side path is leading nowhere good, except to deadly drop-offs. Restore me Lord; hone my focus; cut off my sin, my idols. My life blood is from you alone. This other stuff is weakening and poisonous. My head is cloudy and my senses are confused. Be my rock, dear Saviour. Return the light of your love to my eyes before I faint. I am desperate for your oxygen; all other ground is sinking sand.

Forgive my sins, all that I have allowed to take over ground in my heart – destroy it! I know now quite well the symptoms of a wayward heart, and my heart reeks with the stench of them. Consume me with your holy fire. Breathe life back into my soul. Remove the chains of bondage I have attached to my wrists. Remove the shackles from my feet. Lord I want to dance before you with wild abandon. Receive me into your presence. Consecrate me wholly unto you. Teach me to live with a thorn in my side. Remind me daily that I live in a body of sin, that even though my spirit is willing, my flesh is weak. I must always be alert to that fact and put on your holy armor, so that I may take a stand against the devil’s schemes.

No doubt Satan has been tempting me to despair. He has sent his forces to try to devour me. I am far from “home”, exceedingly vulnerable, a prime target. Lord, do not let me fall! Bind me up with cords that cannot be broken. Weave and grow me into you. You are the vine and I am the branch. Do not allow me to be cut off!

Renew my soul. Fill my veins. Set my heart ablaze once more for you. Let truth be my light; let all else fade. You are my one and only and I worship you. May my life be a testimony of the riches of your grace. Remind me daily that I have been set free. You do not condemn me, therefore neither shall anyone or anything else.

Remove my shame and my guilt. Take off the veil of death shrouding my face. My face should be radiant, belonging to one who is not ashamed. I confess that that is not how I am living today. Rather than living boldly, I’ve been cowering in the shadows. The fullness of life that you offer has only felt like something out of reach, too lofty for me to attain. But the truth is I do not need to attain it, for you give it freely. It is already mine, just as your perfect peace that surpasses understanding is mine.

Lord, I wish to dwell in that peace. Come Holy Spirit and minister to my soul for I feel near to death, lost and afraid. Be my comfort and my strength, for I want none other than yourself. There is that lump in my throat that prevents me from breathing deeply of the aroma of your presence and your promises. Tear out my sin. I’d rather bleed to death in righteousness that to continue “living” in this way. May the thoughts of my mind and the words of my mouth be pleasing to you. Selah.

What are we coming to?

The days are fleeting, and we are but dust

A disaster of horrific proportions has struck the tiny, impoverished island nation of Haiti - an earthquake with at least a 7.0-magnitude. Here in the US we have our stories surrounding an unusually long cold spell. We worry about the orange and strawberry crops in Florida. It is nice to have concerns as simple as these. But how do you cope with unimaginable and devastating news? How do you even begin to cope if you are in the middle of death and chaos? It seems that each natural disaster that strikes our earthly orb simply wishes to one-up the last one. And of all places to strike - Haiti. It seems ridiculously pointless to ask "Why?" I don't think that there is a "why". It just is.

I've been watching the news, trying to wrap my mind around this tragedy. It strikes me how my mind has a way of reverting to old memories in my brain and ripping them out to freshly lay them down before me, all of them grievous memories. I lived in Venezuela at a time when we experienced a 6.9 earthquake of our own. I was not at the epicenter of the quake when it struck, but I did see a collapsed commercial building and a three-story school, crushed down to one level, held up only by apparently sturdy desks. I witnessed rescue workers digging through rubble looking for bodies and hopefully, survivors. In our home a crack snaked it's way down one of our walls. Our belongings were thrown off the shelves by the shock waves. Still, our house stood strong. We were very fortunate.

Trying further to understand, I am briefly reminded of another tragedy I’ve lived through. Virginia Tech is all that needs to be said. So I take these two memories, with all the horror and sadness they opened my eyes to, and yet as I try to hold them up to what is happening in Haiti, they fall drastically short. They seem to disappear. My ability to measure the depth of this tragedy feels horribly inadequate. Listening to the stories that are even now just coming in, I have to fight to keep back the tears.

As I said to my friend, it is in times like these that I especially look forward to the restoration and peace that will one day come to this earth. When we are overwhelmed, it is a gracious blessing to rest on the solid rock who is Christ. I hope and pray that the Haitian people will lean on our heavenly Father. In a report from the Samaritan’s Purse about the situation the first night, I read this: “Thousands of people gathered in public squares late into the night, singing hymns and weeping.”

Oh for the day that all the saints will gather together, singing hymns but yet weeping for joy.

The Cleft of the Rock

When faced with confusion and trying circumstances, we could choose to direct our anger towards God and complain. But do we even have a right to do this? I'm reminded of the scene from Fiddler on the Roof when Russian soldiers raid and ransack the once happy wedding festivities of a young couple. Afterwards, the father, Reptevia, takes a loaf of bread and with both hands palm-up looks up to the sky and asks his God, over and over, "Why?"

There are times where God allows us be in a sort of free fall over dark waters. The issue is this, will we trust Him? Will we maintain our faith in His goodness and Lordship, saying in all circumstances, I must decrease so that He might increase? Though being at the end of ourselves can be painful and confusing, it is also a very good and safe place to be when we truly trust the Lord and His plans for us. It can be a place of growth and renewal if we but choose to keep our hearts vulnerable to the mysterious ways of the Holy Spirit.

Mere mortals that we are, we cannot even begin to grasp the high nature of God's thoughts. When we are at a crossroads or are met with the fray of a battle, it is tempting to think that God has let go of our lives and has forgotten to lead us by the quiet waters as He promised. But this is never the case. Rather, when turmoil ensues, He will gently place us in the cleft of the rock and cover us with his hand. He is our fierce protector.

I like this bit from A.W. Tozer's Faith: the Misunderstood Doctrine

True faith rests upon the character of God and asks no further proof than the moral perfections of the One who cannot lie. It is enough that God said it, and if the statement should contradict every one of the five senses and all the conclusions of logic as well, still the believer continues to believe. "Let God be true, but every man a liar," is the language of true faith. Heaven approves such faith because it rises above mere proofs and rests in the bosom of God.

Quote Worthy

Three  quotes worth pondering:

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.

~ Hellen Keller

I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.

~ Jesus

The place God calls you to is the place where your deep

 gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.

~Frederick Buechner

Postmodernism & the Desecration of Frosty the Snowman

I know I'm a few weeks behind the times with this post, but I think it's still relevant. As noted in my previous post, I have been reading The Good Life by Chuck Colson. In his book, Colson discusses truth and whether or not it can indeed be known. He also talks about Postmodernism and it's effect on the way people think and seek truth. In a sense, Postmodernism holds that reality or truth cannot be known objectively, but rather that it is constructed by humans and therefore changes depending on a person's point of view. This view of truth is prevalent throughout our society. According to The Good Life, 64 percent of Americans do not believe that there is such a thing as moral truth.

Postmodernist influence has had a crippling effect on our society. Colson remarks in his book that "the present generation's horizon is limited to accommodation to the way things are. They live within the evil enchantment of believing that finding truth is utterly impossible." I find this to be quite sad. In our heart of hearts, all of us long for a deep, all-fulfilling truth. We seem to be always searching for something, yet can't quite explain what it is. We talk about "keeping it real" and getting to the bottom of things. The foundation. The non-negotiables of life. How devastating it must be to be told that one's innate longings for absolute truth can never be satisfied because there isn't such a thing? Truly it has made my generation despondent and lost, cynical and skeptical of any absolute claims. Undoubtedly there are many falsetruths out there that must be questioned. But does that mean that no truth is believable? That there is no absolute moral truth humanity can stand on? I sure hope not.

In her blog, a friend of mine recently stated that she has "always had the need for concrete answers to things" but that she didn't necessarily feel that need anymore. I wonder why? I agree that there are some mysteries that are inexplicable and beyond our human comprehension. But there are some things we can know. The truth of God's word, for instance. Even if truth seems far out of reach, it is still truth, and always worthy of being sought after.

So what does any of this have to do with Frosty the Snowman? Well in case any readers are not aware, CBS recently made a mash-up of their original children's classic with dialogue from a couple of their sit-coms containing rather foul content and humor. I was especially saddened to hear this knowing that many children would stumble across the videos one way or another and lose some of their precious innocence that seems harder to come by in today's day and age. I happened upon an article reflecting on the Frosty news and it really drilled home to me what Chuck Colson was saying about the effects of postmodernism. The writer of the article thought the videos were funny and enjoyed them, yet he felt upset about them at the same time but couldn't figure out exactly why. Here is what he said:

"My problem is more an intangible gut thing. It doesn't offend me. It just makes me sad. Sad in the way that it does when any comfortably staid institution tries to sex itself up. It's like watching grandpa get a fauxhawk and try to date college girls. I realize it's entirely logically indefensible to say that there should be boundaries of propriety as to who is and isn't allowed to make sex jokes involving beloved children's figures. But there should...It's hypocritical of me, yes. So be it. As much as it cracks me up to see someone render Frosty inappropriate, I somehow want to know that there are some places in the world where Frosty is treated with as much dignity as a snow-golem with a corncob pipe can be."

Incredible, I thought. This guy knows in his gut that something is wrong, yet because he can't "logically defend" it then there is no valid explanation for believing that and his judgment must be dismissed.. That is how postmodernism has affected people's ability to think; it is robbing them of their intrinsic ability to discern good from evil and white-washing everything over with gaudy, fake smiley faces. It's a scary charade in my opinion.

Still, these findings merely spur me on to affirm and deepen my knowledge of real, absolute, universal truth.

Thoughts from The Good Life

My aunt has lent me a wonderful book, The Good Life, by Chuck Colson. I am only about 7 chapters in but I am really loving it. Colson tries his hand at answering questions such as: Why are we here? What is our purpose for living? What IS the 'good life' that everyone seems to want? Is it fame and fortune? Success and leisure? So many questions that really got me thinking. I mean, I know it's not about getting money and gaining renown, but it's hard to live in America, or the world for that matter, and not attribute a good deal of importance to these things.

I thought I knew what my purpose was. I am perfectly capable of touting the popular line "my purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever". Yes. But what does that mean? What does it look like to live the good life? I desperately wish to know and I am anxious to have Colson show me some insights into the matter.

This is what I've gathered so far. Towards the beginning of the book, Colson talks about how we can't find the good life until we acknowledge that we ourselves are not good. Huh? What does that have to do with anything? It's not me I want to look at but the good things out there that I want for myself. That's what "finding the good life" is about, right? Still, Colson says "We have to understand the evil in ourselves before we can truly embrace the good in life". He then gives several stories, his own those of others until you come face to face with your own heart and realize that you, too, are evil and that all humanity is naturally inclined to do bad things. Great. I am a selfish being that thinks only of myself. How can I hope to get out of a vicious cycle that circulates around myself?

Colson shows how people think they know what's best for them - money, a promotion, vacation, whatever, and how they feel pressured to gain those things by family and society in general. But Colson has this to offer: "Freedom lies not in conforming to the world's expectations or even realizing what we take to be our deepest wishes; it lies in following the call on our lives."

Profound. "It lies in following the call on our lives." It's not about acheiving the goals that we think will bring us happiness but rather following that which we are called to do. I don't know about anybody else, but to me this resounds truer than a thousand Chinese gongs. (No I've never heard that many at one time but sounds about right).

Excitedly I read on, wishing to discover this higher calling. Oh, I probably am being called as a missionary to Africa to start an orphanage and help solve the AIDS problem. Or, oh yeah, I know, I should do everything I can to one day run for public office and climb the ladders in politics. Spotlight on me please. Now.

Wait. No, it's not that.

Colson then says this. "Living a meaningful life consists simply in embracing the responsibilities and work given to us, whatever they are." So, working in food service for a year after getting a college degree? Yep.  How about being a part-time secretary and helping my grandparents out at their home? Definitely. Here's me in a small voice "oh". But rather than getting bummed thinking life isn't going to be as glamorous as I've hoped, I start to see what he is getting at.

We were created in the image of God and we were created to work. Simply by putting our two hands to good use and being productive we are fulfilling our purpose. There is immense satisfaction in getting a job done well. The early Americans understood this and their incredible work ethic and appreciation for work in general built America up to what it is today. I have grown up in a time where the cool thing is too slack off, shirk duties and live for leisure and pleasure. I know I have absorbed this mentality and have seen it's slovenly results in my life. I can't deny that it's there. Still, I am fortunate to have also been taught the importance of work and being productive with my time. The greatest challenge for me is fighting the inertia that keeps wanting to take over. I could do this, or I could do that, but it's so much easier to just sit here and do nothing.

Colson said one of the hardest things about being in prison is the forced inactivity. The one thing he feared the most was not having anything to do. He grasped that our fundamental purpose is to work doing that which we are called to do. I hope to learn this lesson once and for all.

More on this later as I progress through the book.

Retort to Dawkins

In a recent interview with CNN, prominent atheist Richard Dawkins said the following:

"Evolution is almost universally accepted among those who understand it, almost universally rejected by those who don't."

For a moment I was enfuriated by his statement, until the following one popped into my head:

"Christianity is almost universally accepted among those who understand it, almost universally rejected by those who don't."

Quid pro quo.

I am not claiming my response as absolute truth, rather as a necessary perspective.

The beginnings of my wonderings

My God owns the cattle on a thousand hills! What's not to wonder about that??

I know that try as I might, I cannot resolve the enigmatic nature of God's extravagant love for me. The greatest insight I will ever have will be but a scratch on the surface.

I cannot understand why God decided to have mercy on me and save me through His grace. I am grieved in knowing how much Christ suffered for me. I am baffled by the way the Holy Spirit speaks to me. I am hopelessly allured by the infinite beauty of the triune God. I can hardly begin to explain the mystery of Christ and the Church.

Amazingly enough - by God's sovereignty - I exist. I have full access to His throne of grace and may approach it with confidence. As long as I continue to walk in the light, there will be new mercies and new wonders to behold. As I am able, I will share them here.

Welcome.