That's right. I said it. I'm racist...against racism!!!
In light of a recent Facebook post about a man who is fighting for his right to bear a rebel flag because ''it is his history and not about racism at all" I GOT MAD and started to collect my thoughts in this blog. I'm all for personal freedom in our country because, after all, that's what it was founded on but our forefathers fled here to avoid persecution. Not to create it. So isn't THAT our country's true history? Last time I read the bible it wasn't labeled FOR WHITES ONLY. And who's opinion on this matter matters the most? God's does! Let's see what He has to say about it...
Genesis 1:27
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them
John 13:34
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
Matthew 22:39
"Love your neighbor as you love yourself."
So, because I am of German heritage should I wear a swastika? It is acceptable in our country after all. That doesn't make it right or moral!! Beth Moore says in her bible study of the book of Daniel that we can be trapped in a "friendly" snare. They use the excuse that the rebel flag is a part of southern history. Well, most African Americans see it as a horrific period of time that their forefathers were enslaved, beaten, persecuted, murdered, and treated like they were less than animals!!! Their great great grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc we're separated from their families to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Hung from trees, terrorized, and oppressed. If that happened today in present time to Americans I don't think any of us would be flying a flag representing Americans being tortured and murdered and oppressed in any act of historical pride! I'm NOT sorry to say that I DO find it offensive. As I am sure most Americans do. If it wasn't offensive to people there wouldn't be an issue being raised about it flying freely on government property. Last time I checked there wasn't one single American flying a Taliban flag after 9-11 because it represented a time in our country's history.
And please do not misunderstand me and think this only applies to skin color racism. I'm not going to persecute a person who bears a gay pride symbol or any other symbol that God sees as a sin, the poor, the lustful, the outcasts of society, the lame, etc. Jesus defended the woman at the well. He tells us not to esteem the rich man. I have no right to judge another person by their choices. God commands that I am to love. He doesn't say love under any specific conditions. If that were the case I should be persecuted first. I am nothing more than a disgusting and vial sinner thankfully covered so gracefully by his blood. I AM the lowest of the least. I AM the woman at the well. I AM the poor man being thrown scraps from the rich mans table. I AM the hated tax collector. I AM the leper. But He died for me, and the black man, and the Hispanic man, and the prostitute, and the drug addict, and the murderer, the suicide bomber, and the thief, and the adulterer, the scam artist, the liar, the atheist, the homosexual, the Muslim, the child molester, the diseased, the orphan, the soldier, the betrayers, the drunks, the Africans, the Asians, the mentally ill, the homeless, and the list goes on.......... Do we want Jesus to write in the sand all over again? Not I...
1Corinthians 13:4-8
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
I don't remember where I heard or possibly read it but I recall somewhere a while back that I should insert my name where we find the word "love" in these passages in 1Corinthians. Does it describe the way we are? If not, I'm guessing God sees it as sinful. We're not here to make the general public happy. We're here to do the work of God. I think we're, as a society, so worried about being politically correct that we forget who we are REALLY here to please. If we all followed the teachings of the bible and had a passion for adhering to God's word there would be no place for racism in our hearts. I know there will always be sin in our fallen world, but it takes wisdom and courage for those of us who see this as an injustice to stand up and MAKE WAR against sin. As this obviously is simply that, sin.
I've become the new branch on my family tree.
I'm choosing to change my family's history.
He is the vine, I am his branch.
Remaining in Him.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Do Not Cross This Line!!!...Even Though He Died On A Cross For EVERYBODY?
Aren't we, as Christians, supposed to be in this world and not of it? All of you have probably answered "yes" the same as I have. So riddle me this... If the secular world values people on fortune, beauty, status, and fame then why do we also? WHAT IS SHE TALKING ABOUT you say?? Well, I'll tell you.
We proclaim our love to others by volunteering at shelters, orphanages, soup kitchens, and other such ministries. We "get our hands dirty" serving people who aren't like us. We give money to the poor. We go on mission trips and live amongst the less fortunate for a few days. We give the man on the corner a couple bucks or some even go further and tell that man about Christ.
But there is a line we do not always cross in our very own church. In God's own house. The place where we are supposed to fellowship and love one another as brothers and sisters in our Christ Jesus. Often we divide ourselves up into groups or cliques. I hate that word. Go ahead and say it...That's so high school. But isn't it?
Ephesians 2:19 says:
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household.
Wait a minute. Did God really just say fellow citizens? What exactly does that mean? Let's find out. The dictionary says:
fellow- a [fel-oh] person belonging to the same rank or class; equal; peer.
citizen- [sit-uh-zuh
n, -suhn] an inhabitant, or denizen
So God says we're all the same rank or class. We're equal. Call me crazy, but I personally think that we've been committing a sin here. There's a line so many of us are not willing to cross. Sure, some of us are more drawn to people that share things in common with us and we form friendships. That's normal. But why do we limit ourselves to only those people? Do we invite our blue collared brother to our home for fellowship over dinner? Have you wanted to invite the more 'priviledged' sister out for coffee but figured she wasn't interested in being friends with a person like yourself?
The following paragraph is an excerpt taken from the story of Ananias and Sapphira from bible.com:
“And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own; but all things were common property to them” (Acts 4:32). This is most amazing. The number of believers probably totaled five thousand or more by this time, and yet they were of one heart and one soul. The heart is sometimes used in Scripture to refer in a wider sense to the immaterial part of man’s being, including both his spirit and his soul. But distinguished from the soul, as it is here, it would probably refer just to his spirit, the innermost facet of man’s makeup, the center of his being to which God reveals Himself and in which God dwells. Those early Christians sensed a spiritual bond at the deepest level of their lives. Their spirits were knit together in the cords of Christ’s life and Christ’s love. They knew they belonged to each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. But Scripture goes on to say that they were of one soul as well, and that is something entirely different. The soul is the conscious life force in man, his personality, consisting of his mind, emotions, and will. This is the level on which he thinks his thoughts, senses his feelings, and makes his choices. This is the realm of experience. Those early Christians were not only one because of their position in Christ, but they were one in experience also. They thought alike, they had deep feelings for each other, and they made decisions that reflected their mutual care and concern. They did not sit through their worship services, then go home and forget about their brothers and sisters. Since their congregation was so very large, when they all met together in the court of the Temple, they also gathered in smaller units in homes to get to know each other, to grow in their love for one another, to care about one another’s problems and minister to one another’s needs (cf. Acts 2:46).
Now that's an amazing example of community isn't it? They all came together in one accord of one heart and one soul! They cared for each other! I'm not saying we don't care for each other. I've experienced more love from my church family at times than from my blood family. But let it not go unnoticed that partiality goes on amongst us every day. We shy away from the coffee pot as the girl with the tattoos approaches. Or our bursts of laughter subside as a the outsider walks past us in the church halls. We don't talk to the girl who wears her heart on her sleeve anymore because she actually replies more than "fine" when somebody asks "How are you?" We try to stay inside our comfort zones. We don't like the unknown. There are people who compliment our personalities and checkbooks so we stick around them while offering a sweet smile to those we're less accustomed to being around.
1 Peter 5:8 says 8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
I'm betting that first "someone" he is looking to devour is the isolated Christian. The one who doesn't feel like they have a place in their own home amongst their brothers and sisters. It's obvious, the lone zebra is going down when the lion is hungry. As soon as his pack leaves the watering hole without him he becomes lunch! And you better believe that that "someone" isn't always the lone ranger sitting in the back pew by himself. It's the man volunteering next to you that no one really talks to because he's socially strained. The lady who wears no makeup and dresses modestly in your bible study that you never really get to know. It's the beautiful girl that you think has a million people lining up to be her friend sitting in the pew in front of you.
I don't know about you, but I'm sick of it! And I know God is too! It's evident in the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah is a prophet sent to warn who?? The people of God!!! To warn them that God is angry. Those darn followers of Christ were up to no good again. They were worshipping in the temple but they were more concerned with the world around them. They were lukewarm about the Lord because they were wrapped up in appearances. Babylon anybody?? Bueller....Bueller....Bueller? Anybody get where I'm going with this? Same thing was going on down in Babylon. They're kidnapping the chosen people of God. But in all fairness God warned them. So who did the Babylonians take captive? Ohhh well...only the best of the best, the creme de la creme, the cream of the crop!!! The ROYAL family. But not just any old royal family member. Old king Neb wanted the gorgeous, smart, strong, rich boys. Uh oh...but
1 Timothy 6:7 says "The earth is passing away and all of its lusts, but the one who does the will of God abides forever. We are not to put stock in that which is material or made by man." Well that just slaps ya in the face doesn't it??
I hope everybody gets mad reading this blog! Mad at themselves. It's time to make a change. We can't preach what we aren't practicing. Love one another. It's commanded people! Wake up!!!!!!
On a lighter note, I think I just wrote a sermon. LOL
We proclaim our love to others by volunteering at shelters, orphanages, soup kitchens, and other such ministries. We "get our hands dirty" serving people who aren't like us. We give money to the poor. We go on mission trips and live amongst the less fortunate for a few days. We give the man on the corner a couple bucks or some even go further and tell that man about Christ.
But there is a line we do not always cross in our very own church. In God's own house. The place where we are supposed to fellowship and love one another as brothers and sisters in our Christ Jesus. Often we divide ourselves up into groups or cliques. I hate that word. Go ahead and say it...That's so high school. But isn't it?
Ephesians 2:19 says:
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household.
Wait a minute. Did God really just say fellow citizens? What exactly does that mean? Let's find out. The dictionary says:
fellow- a [fel-oh] person belonging to the same rank or class; equal; peer.
citizen- [sit-uh-zuh
n, -suhn] an inhabitant, or denizenSo God says we're all the same rank or class. We're equal. Call me crazy, but I personally think that we've been committing a sin here. There's a line so many of us are not willing to cross. Sure, some of us are more drawn to people that share things in common with us and we form friendships. That's normal. But why do we limit ourselves to only those people? Do we invite our blue collared brother to our home for fellowship over dinner? Have you wanted to invite the more 'priviledged' sister out for coffee but figured she wasn't interested in being friends with a person like yourself?
The following paragraph is an excerpt taken from the story of Ananias and Sapphira from bible.com:
“And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own; but all things were common property to them” (Acts 4:32). This is most amazing. The number of believers probably totaled five thousand or more by this time, and yet they were of one heart and one soul. The heart is sometimes used in Scripture to refer in a wider sense to the immaterial part of man’s being, including both his spirit and his soul. But distinguished from the soul, as it is here, it would probably refer just to his spirit, the innermost facet of man’s makeup, the center of his being to which God reveals Himself and in which God dwells. Those early Christians sensed a spiritual bond at the deepest level of their lives. Their spirits were knit together in the cords of Christ’s life and Christ’s love. They knew they belonged to each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. But Scripture goes on to say that they were of one soul as well, and that is something entirely different. The soul is the conscious life force in man, his personality, consisting of his mind, emotions, and will. This is the level on which he thinks his thoughts, senses his feelings, and makes his choices. This is the realm of experience. Those early Christians were not only one because of their position in Christ, but they were one in experience also. They thought alike, they had deep feelings for each other, and they made decisions that reflected their mutual care and concern. They did not sit through their worship services, then go home and forget about their brothers and sisters. Since their congregation was so very large, when they all met together in the court of the Temple, they also gathered in smaller units in homes to get to know each other, to grow in their love for one another, to care about one another’s problems and minister to one another’s needs (cf. Acts 2:46).
Now that's an amazing example of community isn't it? They all came together in one accord of one heart and one soul! They cared for each other! I'm not saying we don't care for each other. I've experienced more love from my church family at times than from my blood family. But let it not go unnoticed that partiality goes on amongst us every day. We shy away from the coffee pot as the girl with the tattoos approaches. Or our bursts of laughter subside as a the outsider walks past us in the church halls. We don't talk to the girl who wears her heart on her sleeve anymore because she actually replies more than "fine" when somebody asks "How are you?" We try to stay inside our comfort zones. We don't like the unknown. There are people who compliment our personalities and checkbooks so we stick around them while offering a sweet smile to those we're less accustomed to being around.
1 Peter 5:8 says 8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
I'm betting that first "someone" he is looking to devour is the isolated Christian. The one who doesn't feel like they have a place in their own home amongst their brothers and sisters. It's obvious, the lone zebra is going down when the lion is hungry. As soon as his pack leaves the watering hole without him he becomes lunch! And you better believe that that "someone" isn't always the lone ranger sitting in the back pew by himself. It's the man volunteering next to you that no one really talks to because he's socially strained. The lady who wears no makeup and dresses modestly in your bible study that you never really get to know. It's the beautiful girl that you think has a million people lining up to be her friend sitting in the pew in front of you.
I don't know about you, but I'm sick of it! And I know God is too! It's evident in the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah is a prophet sent to warn who?? The people of God!!! To warn them that God is angry. Those darn followers of Christ were up to no good again. They were worshipping in the temple but they were more concerned with the world around them. They were lukewarm about the Lord because they were wrapped up in appearances. Babylon anybody?? Bueller....Bueller....Bueller? Anybody get where I'm going with this? Same thing was going on down in Babylon. They're kidnapping the chosen people of God. But in all fairness God warned them. So who did the Babylonians take captive? Ohhh well...only the best of the best, the creme de la creme, the cream of the crop!!! The ROYAL family. But not just any old royal family member. Old king Neb wanted the gorgeous, smart, strong, rich boys. Uh oh...but
1 Timothy 6:7 says "The earth is passing away and all of its lusts, but the one who does the will of God abides forever. We are not to put stock in that which is material or made by man." Well that just slaps ya in the face doesn't it??
I hope everybody gets mad reading this blog! Mad at themselves. It's time to make a change. We can't preach what we aren't practicing. Love one another. It's commanded people! Wake up!!!!!!
On a lighter note, I think I just wrote a sermon. LOL
Friday, February 11, 2011
What A Gift
My little girl just mailed her first letter today. She drew a picture of her great grandmother, a rainbow, and flowers. She folded it, placed it in it's envelope, licked the life out of it until it sagged like a little old lady, and even wrote the address all by herself. As she walked to the mailbox with a little apprehension I reassured her with a thumbs up from the window. She remembered to look both ways before going into the street. As she peered inside the mailbox to make sure there were no spiders lurking before placing her letter inside she arose with the biggest smile on her face. She lifted the flag and ran back up the driveway waving at me giggling to herself the entire way.
I'm so blessed to have such a precious little gift from God. She reminds every day to find joy in the silliest things. Often we don't take older people so seriously when they say "cherish them now, they grow up fast" simply because you just can't even fathom the day that you will no longer have to wash peanutbutter out of their hair or be interrupted every time you get an important phone call. But with each day and every step my daughter takes into womanhood (I can't even believe I just associated my tiny princess with womanhood!) I understand what those little old ladies at the grocery store are talking about. One day she will probably drudgingly walk out to that mailbox to mail off a bill she can't afford to pay without the precious toothless smile upon her face. She'll be an adult like the rest of us. So for now I'll remember to laugh a little louder when she puts her shoes on the wrong feet, to cry a little harder when she loses a tooth and reminds me that she's not a baby anymore, and to hug her more tightly when she needs her mommy.
I'm so blessed to have such a precious little gift from God. She reminds every day to find joy in the silliest things. Often we don't take older people so seriously when they say "cherish them now, they grow up fast" simply because you just can't even fathom the day that you will no longer have to wash peanutbutter out of their hair or be interrupted every time you get an important phone call. But with each day and every step my daughter takes into womanhood (I can't even believe I just associated my tiny princess with womanhood!) I understand what those little old ladies at the grocery store are talking about. One day she will probably drudgingly walk out to that mailbox to mail off a bill she can't afford to pay without the precious toothless smile upon her face. She'll be an adult like the rest of us. So for now I'll remember to laugh a little louder when she puts her shoes on the wrong feet, to cry a little harder when she loses a tooth and reminds me that she's not a baby anymore, and to hug her more tightly when she needs her mommy.
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